Chocolate Roses
by KinkyK and JazzyJ
Summary: From the moment she was adopted by that silver-haired man, to the moment one of his five adopted sons said 'I love you', Sakura's life began spiraling downward.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chocolate Roses**_

_Summary: Sakura, adopted at 16 by a silver-haired man, finds that her life is beginning to change forever. No one told her about the mansion she lives in, or the Porsches and Lamborghini's that await her. Not to mention the six model-material guys that live with her. She wasn't supposed to have feelings for any of them, but when one of them begins to have feelings for her, her life starts spiraling downward. She finds herself in the fight of her life, and the only escape is the danger she'll face._

**'_To live was a privilege. You were given the opportunity and expected to live it to the fullest, to enjoy it, love it, but not take advantage of it. That is the mistake foolish mortals made. They love opportunities, enjoyed it, loved it and lived it to the fullest…but soon, they get carried away with this new power, and take this time to use it more than necessary. To abuse it. To hurt. And that is when trust is truly lost.'_**

_**Chapter 1**_

_I was taught to run if someone I didn't know approached me. It was one of those hot, sticky summer days when your favorite mint chocolate-chip ice cream slipped off the cone and fell to the ground. The kind where you schedule a day to hang with your best of friends in the skimpiest outfits you could find at the bottom of your messy closet to show off your slammin' body. Yes, that kind._

_  
I was a child when I went through the look-good-24/7 phase. You know, the one where you had to look unbelievably beautiful everywhere you went. I remember when I got my first horrible pimple smack-dab in the middle of my forehead. I borrowed my mother's hairdryer and blew it on my forehead, so when she came downstairs and found me in my bed with a flushed face and a high "fever" I had to stay home. This gave me the chance to treat the red devil on my head.  
I thought the more skin I showed; the more boys would think I was pretty. So I begged my mother to buy me more accessories and skirts. Tube tops and purses. Bracelets, earrings, rings, headbands, and even frilly bras; even though I was used to my tomboy, laid back style._

'_It's just a phase…' my mother would whisper to my father when she thought I was fast asleep, and not eavesdropping on the steps. I agreed with her secretly and shoo-ed it off. After all, it was a mere phase._

_But here I was, 13 years old, wearing a revealing bikini and reading one of those popular magazines that told you which new celebrities were breaking up and your latest horoscope. I was in the middle of the magazine, seeing if new love awaited me in the future._

'_Your new love will appear in the future, but beware, things that appear are not always what they seem.'_

_Not what they seem? Love was waiting for me in the future. That is what it seemed! Noise flared from the foundation behind me. I glanced the house quickly and, seeing no signs of endeavor, returned to my magazine. I looked at the latest bands in America that were rocking our worlds. Mm-hm. Yeah,yeah. Linkin Park, Shine Down, Aly & AJ, Flyleaf, Paramore, Panic! At the Disco…give me something new, fresh, out there-_

_  
I heard more disruption from my home. I took off my designer Chanel sunglasses and narrowed my emerald eyes. Through the small, round, window, and the long, brown vintage curtains that surrounded it, I managed to make out red spots of paint. I rolled my eyes. My mother was an art freak, and when she got a burst of inspiration, anything and everything became her canvas. I turned my head an put my glasses back on._

_I flipped the page on the magazine and heaved. There, on this page, was the most beautiful, luxurious mansion I had ever seen, that took up two pages for the image and another two for the extra features. I guess my horoscope was correct because I immediately fell in love._

_I glanced at the house again. The red spots were gone and all was quiet…a little too quiet. I lay my magazine face down on the lounge chair I was sitting in and put my sunglasses on top. Then I slowly and softly walked to the backdoor that led me inside the vast kitchen; quiet as to be immediately aware of the slightest of noises._

"_Mother? Are you in here?" I called out. I frowned at the response I wasn't receiving._

_That was weird._

_I examined the kitchen counter that had the red smears and one wandering drop of paint. I looked closer, examining every little detail. Round, red, thick… I touched the paint with my finger and stared at it in horror. The way it stuck to my finger in a tiny bead, the density, the way it smeared when wiped instead of coming right up…_

_It could only be blood._

"_Father? Where are you guys?!" I was now terrified. Blood and no parents. Why didn't I come earlier? Why? I swiftly ran into the living room and saw my mother's favorite China plates broken and strewn about on the floor, instead of the shelves they usually rested peacefully in. The priceless family photos were shattered and also thrown on the floor. The beautiful white leather couches were splattered with "red paint". But I knew better when I found the two bloodied corpses on the floor. The two I could only recognize as my parents. Dead._

"_M-Mother…Fa…ther." I felt a presence behind me and, when I spun around, I was met with dangerous crimson eyes that I did not recognize._

_And I ran._

_I would always obey my parents, even though they weren't here to direct me, I knew I was in danger. And I knew I had to run. But what my parents didn't know was that in certain situations like this one, running only put me in more immediate danger._

_Two figures appeared in front of me at the speed of lightning. I gazed in horror as they inched closer to me. Closer…. Closer…_

"_Is she of any use?" the man with long blonde hair asked to his friend next to him._

"_No, you may kill her." The red head replied with no emotion._

_These two men were gorgeous beyond belief. With pale skin, and eyes that pulled you in deeper and deeper, making it harder for you to breathe. Then realization hit me. No matter how beautiful they were, they were the murderers of my parents, and, according to the red-head, my murderers. I gasped and backed away from them Slowly but surely. As adrenaline hit me, I began running to the living room again, praying the other intruder was gone. But I slammed into a rock-hard body that made me fall to my bottom on contact. Then, I was surrounded completely._

"_Let me go." I pleaded softly as hot tears ran down my cheek and ran into my mouth. I was being pulled up gently, then pressed firmly into a wall. "Stop. Please." I was feeling light-headed and woozy after seeing so much blood. All that blood was overwhelming. The crimson-eyed man pinned me down while the blonde buried his face in my neck. Then I felt something like needles penetrating my bare flesh, and I screamed. I could only take so much but I managed to hold on for a few seconds before I collapsed, unconscious._

**:**

It's been three years since the death of my parents. After the incident, I awoke in a hospital room not remembering a thing that happened a few days before; except for the fact that I was alone. I was put into an orphanage while going to school instead of living with my other relatives who wanted nothing to do with me. Whenever I was in school, people would look at me with secluded eyes, for-ever marking me as the outcast. As much as people expected me to cry and complain and slit my wrists, I remained the person to always cheer others on and be the sunshine on a cloudy day. You would think a girl who lost everything would fall apart. But not me. I was just glad I was alive.

Once again, here I was, 16,laying in my cot that was supposed to pass as a bed, staring at the dirty, cracked ceiling that sported several holes and even had a few loose, tattered wires hanging out of it. Safety hazard? I think so. It was adoption week, and the business was low. Unfortunately for me, I was the longest member at the Niban Ori (Second Chance) Orphanage for Young girls, being here three years and all.

This week was Adoption Week and so far, being it Thursday, only three young girls had been adopted, one eleven, the other ten and an eight year-old. I didn't stand a chance of being adopted since I was a six-teen year-old. Adults wanted younger children so it would be easier for them to brainwash them with rules and chores and bla bla bla. If a child were to be adopted, their name would be called over the "extremely high-tech" intercom.

So as I rolled over in my cot, accidently rolling off of it and falling on the floor, I crawled to my crate. Each girl received a crate to put their valuables in, although most people here had the usual: toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, comb, family picture ,which depended on whether you knew your family or not, several outfits, two pairs of shoes and books to read that you could check out in the library next door.

The owner of the orphanage used to be an old, ornery, woman, but sadly she died almost two years ago. The new orphanage owner was young, beautiful and kind. Her name was Kushina, but, out of respect, we called her Miss Kushina. Her insanely long red-orange hair and green eyes were unbelievable. Her age was still unknown among the orphanage because her appearance was of a twenty year old woman maybe even her teens, yet she told us she owned a home, she had a husband and a 16 year-old son. Although she owned no family pictures, the girls were excited to meet this boy one day since the mother was beautiful.

"Sakura, dear. Please come to the front. Someone wants to see you!" Kushina said over the intercom. I gasped and blushed as I felt the other girls' staring at me with green, envious eyes. I quickly glanced at myself in the mirror and hurried down the stairs and around the corner to the very front of the orphanage.

There I found Kushina talking happily to a man probably not any older than she was. He had spiky silver hair that was pushed to one side with a bandana covering his right eye. He was tall with broad shoulders and muscular shoulders. His left lazy eye that was shown was marked with amusement when he saw me. Did I do something wrong? Kushina turned to me and beamed.

"Hello Sakura! This is Kakashi Hatake and he wants to adopt you today. I'll go get your belongings while you two get to know each other, okay?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank you." I bowed formally and looked at Kakashi. "Hello father. M-My name is Sakura Haruno. I-It is very nice to meet…you." I whispered, sounding like an idiot.

"You can call me Kakashi. Father makes me sound old." Kakashi smiled.

"Yes sir." I blushed from embarrassment.

"So. Nice weather we're having, huh?" Kakashi said as an awkward silence filled the room. I looked at him confused just as Kushina arrived with a bag in hand.

"Okay Sakura. Here are your things." I reached for my bag but Kakashi's hand beat me to it.

"Don't worry about it, I'll carry it."

"Thank you." I turned to Kushina and smiled sadly. "I will miss you." I said honestly. Even though her appearance was young and naïve, she had become family to me. A mother.

Kushina wrapped her arms around me and sighed then giggled. "It's quite alright. I'll definitely miss you too Sakura. You know, you were really fun to hang around."

I nodded and smiled back at Kushina. Then, I laughed along with her while Kakashi stood trying to figure out why we were acting like amateur schoolgirls. He cleared his throat and made us look at him.

"Sorry Kakashi!" Kushina laughed. Kushina walked closer to me and whispered in my ear. "Make sure you stay away from blood okay?" I nodded. Over the years I developed a phobia for blood. Just the sight of it made me hyperventilate. As long as I couldn't see it, I was okay though.

"We shall be on our way now." Kakashi said. I gave Kushina a final hug before I followed Kakashi out the door to the parking lot. The silence was getting to me and I fished my mind to find something intelligent to say. Something….

"Um…Kakashi-san, I want to um, thank you for adopting me." I looked at the ground, avoiding his eyes. Kakashi looked at me and grinned with his pearly whites.

"You are quite welcome," he stopped walking and, as I looked up, I saw a Canary Yellow Lamborghini. It was beautiful. Absolutely amazing. I looked at Kakashi who pulled a keychain out of his pocket. Then he pushed a button on a key that was on it and unlocked the car. "Now then. Shall we go?"

I was still staring at Kakashi. Then the car. Then Kakashi again. "A-Are we riding…in this car?"

He nodded.

"This one? Right here?"

He nodded again.

If there was a better word in the dictionary to describe this car, I would've used that instead of,"Wow."

"What?" Kakashi put my bag in the trunk and hopped in the front seat. I lingered outside, but eventually hopped in the front seat with Kakashi.

"The car is wonderful."

"Hm. Not really, it's pretty old. I'm giving it away soon."I stared at him in wonder, but I couldn't help but feel a tang of jealousy because of the money he had.

We drove in silence for a while, but I completely ignored everything going on around me as I stared out the window looking at things I have not seen in ages. The elementary school, the skate park, the ice cream shops where the young boys and girls were excitedly pulling their parents in. I giggled and felt Kakashi's eyes boring into me, but I ignored him. He sighed when we stopped at a red light and I was ready to fall asleep, but I saw a couple, hand in hand, walking out of a Candy Shoppe. The woman stopped, looked around nervously and ran back in the shop, pulling out a toddler with a lollipop in his mouth. The woman scolded him and, before the toddler started crying, the man took the infant in his arms and spun him around, making the kid laugh. Defeated, the woman sighed and placed a kiss on both of the male's cheeks. I couldn't help but smile. Then, I was sad.

That kid had both of his parents to count on 24/7. They would always be there for him and, as much as I didn't want to, I began crying. I tore my eyes from the window and sniffed. Kakashi glanced at me and stopped the car.

"Sakura. Are you alright?" I looked at Kakashi and smiled weakly.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine." I nodded. Kakashi leaned out of the window and pressed a few buttons, then giant, elegant gates we stopped at opened slowly. I peeked out the window and gasped in disbelief, almost falling out of the window to get a better look.

"This…this is it!," I breathed."The mansion!"

Kakashi smiled at me."Yes. This is the mansion where we live." I almost choked a little.

"No…way! We live here?!"

Kakashi nodded and chuckled.

"This is wonderful…unbelievable. Oh my God." I laughed. It was the mansion of my dreams, the one I read about in my magazine all those years ago.

Kakashi parked the car under a large garage that was probably the size of the orphanage alone, if not bigger. Kakashi sighed and closed the trunk to his car. Whoa, when did he get out? Anyway, I got out the car and walked through the front yard that belonged in a dream. There wasn't one blade of brown or yellow grass in the yard. It wasn't overly decorated like most yards. It had a few rose bushes, small trees, and a vast fountain that sat in the middle of the yard, and was surrounded by concrete so it could be used as a pass way to the front steps. I looked back at Kakashi who was walking up to me.

This man was my new father. My only parent I could count on, and he's said more words to me today than my biological father said to me in a week. Knowing this man for only an hour, I trusted him with my life. I felt my emerald eyes blurring with tears then, like a dam, the water began to overflow.

"Sakura?" Kakashi frowned confused. Before I gave him an answer, I threw my arms around him and sobbed.

"T-Thank you! Thank you so much!" I cried. Kakashi's arms tightened around me as he held me in return.

"Shh. It's alright…now listen Sakura. You're starting a new life with new people and a new family. Anything that happened in your past shall be forgotten. So there is no reason to be sad now, because you have us now." Us? I shrugged it off and wiped my tears away.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have d-done that." I blushed and looked away.

That's alright. Aaaanywho, dry your tears and smile. You have to meet the others." He smiled as we walked to the front door.

"Excuse me Kakashi-san. What do you mean by others?" I finally asked."Not to pry or anything." I quickly added.

"Oops, I didn't tell you? I also have five sons that I have adopted."

I was quite shocked to hear this. I was probably going to be the only girl in the house. I hoped none of these boys are major perverted and annoying. I was afraid of what I would find behind these closed doors. A pig-sty? Underwear strewn about maybe. I held my breath as Kakashi turned the key in the lock and opened the door, revealing a surprisingly neat, tidy house. I smiled to myself. No underwear.

"Guys! She's here!!" I felt like a prize the boys were going to receive. I could make out a few voices, angry footsteps, mumbling and arguing as they ran down the stairs; then quiet when I reached the bottom.

**Oh My God.**

They looked…delicious. I hoped I didn't lick my lips when they came down the stairs, because that would've been embarrassing. Although I could only count four boys instead of five, I could still count my blessings for being the luckiest girl on Earth.

"This is Sakura Haruno. Treat her like one of us." I thought I sensed a tiny amount of amusement in his voice, but I was probably just imagining it anyways.

A blonde stepped forward and hugged me. "Hello Sakura-chan! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meetcha."

"Uh, hello Naruto-kun. It is nice to meet you." I bowed slightly.

"And this is Neji," Naruto pointed to a brunette with stunning pearl eyes.

"Hello Neji-kun."

"And Shikamaru." Naruto then pointed to a dark brown-haired boy who wore his hair in ponytail and sported light chocolate eyes.

"Nice to meet you."

"And Sai. Be careful he's weird. Very." Last was a boy with short, pitch-black hair and piercing black orbs that were smiling back at me.

"Hello Sai-kun."

"Where is Sasuke?"Kakashi asked annoyed.

"Who knows?," Naruto spoke."Sasuke is the other guy who isn't here. He's a real asshole, but once you get to know him, he's still an asshole, but he isn't that bad cuz he lightens up a little. Or, at least to the rest of them that is. He still treats me like crap."

I giggled and looked at Naruto.

"See guys. She thinks I'm funny." Naruto pouted, wrapping an arm around me.

"Yeah Naruto. You're hilarious." Shikamaru said sarcastically. He pulled out a box of cigarettes from his pocket and sighed."I'll be back in five." Shikamaru said before leaving the room and out the front door.

Sai looked at me and smiled."I'll see you soon Sakura." And he left.

Neji merely nodded and went up the long, elegant, staircase. I turned to Naruto, waiting for him to say he was going to leave. After he didn't, I asked him.

"Are you leaving too?" I asked almost dejectedly.

"Nope. It's my job to give you the tour of this place. I hope you're wearing comfortable shoes because this may take a while." He smiled at me and grabbed my hand, leading me up the stairs.

**:**

I absolutely disagreed with the others when they thought Naruto wasn't funny. He made the most boring, dull things exciting and fun.

As we ended up in an endless hallway, he pointed to a bathroom that rested in the middle of two bedrooms.

"This where you go if you drink expired milk. Just make sure you check the dates." He grinned and I smiled, trying my best to hold my laugh in, but no such luck. I clutched my stomach and laughed. My poor stomach was abused at the time because I was laughing so hard, and so far, we only visited Neji's room, Shikamaru's, Kakashi's, Sai's and Naruto's own room.

"And this, my friend, is Sasuke's door." We had stopped at the end of the hall in front of a black door with a stop sign on it.

"This is probably the only part of his room you'll see. Which is a good thing." Naruto then turned his heel and walked in a bare, white room with a bed, dresser and a long, wide window in it.

"Last but not least, your room. It's kinda empty now. But you can do whatever you want to spice it up a bit." I completely walked inside the room and looked around, amazed. It was huge!

"Um, Naruto-kun," I turned to him and frowned."I-I don't think I have enough stuff to fit in here." I said, lifting the small bag up. I only had enough to fit in the first drawer of the dresser.

"Then we can buy you more stuff. It's no big deal."

"Oh ,no that's fine. I can always improvise." I shook my head, disagreeing with the idea.

"That's bull-crap. What's yours is ours and what's ours is yours. And I'm saying you don't have enough junk. You cannot live without junk."

"No, thank you Naruto-kun. I'm fine." I smiled and then frowned again.

"Is Sasuke-kun really that bad? I think he sounds okay." I said.

Naruto mumbled something inaudible.

"Huh?"

"You don't know Sasuke the way I do. He's changed a lot over the years." Naruto's face was serious, something I haven't seen since I got here. H e sighed and smiled. "Long story short, he's horrible."

"He can't be that bad. He's human after all." Naruto smirked. "What kind of person is he?"

"Well besides every I told you, he loves to "play" with girls, mentally and physically." I blushed but Naruto continued.

"He would say he loved you, but next thing you know, you see him making out with your best friend. Don't trust em'. He's bad news."

I jumped with surprise when I heard the door slam. Shikamaru? No, he came back in earlier.

"Sasuke…" Naruto muttered. I followed him out of my room. Before I turned the corner, I heard giggles and more mumbling from a deep voice. Naruto and I started going down the stairs and, just as we did, Sasuke and his visitor were coming up. He was…

**Amazing.**

He had obsidian, stoic eyes that, like a fisherman, caught me, and never let go. His hair was perfect. His bangs were even to the last strand of hair and it spiked up in the back, giving it the look of a chicken's bottom. There was something about him, _something _that told me he was dangerous. Maybe it was his stare, or his appearance, maybe even all the information Naruto gave me, but I knew it was something. And I wasn't crazy.

Sasuke glanced at me, and stopped walking. Naruto stopped walking, too. The girl that was walking behind Sasuke stopped and stared at me smugly. I bit my lip and looked away from her. She was pretty with her long black hair. Her dark green eyes resembled a cat's; sharp and piercing.

"Sasuke," the girl whined. "Who's this…_girl_?" she looked at me up and down and laughed to herself. "She looks like shit. You aren't messing with her too, are you?" Sasuke looked at me for a long second, then turned to the girl again.

"She's nobody important. Let's go." Sasuke said nonchalantly. They finished their hike up the stairs and retreated to Sasuke's room.

As Naruto and I finished walking down the stairs, I remained quiet. Once we reached the bottom, I lingered on the last step.

"Sakura. What they said…"

Naruto started. I looked at him and smiled slightly."I-It's okay Naruto-kun. I do look a mess ,huh?" I looked at my clothes. I was wearing an over-sized button-up shirt that belonged to my father. My other shirts were too small for me, and I couldn't afford some of my own, so I had to wear my parent's clothes.

Pathetic. I know.

The jeans I were wearing, were too small for me, so they stopped above my ankles. Even though I knew I looked awful, the girl's words still hurt. A lot.

"Sakura…" Naruto sighed.

"Um…I-I,uh, have to go." I said, starting to cry.

"Wait. Before you go, I have a question." Naruto grabbed my hand.

I spun around and looked at him, part angry and part dismal.

"What's the mark on your neck?"

"What?"

"I'm talking about those two marks on your neck. The holes, I mean."

Involuntarily, I stroked my neck, feeling the risen scar. I looked away and thought. Then looked back at Naruto. "I-I don't remember." I lied.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you remember?"

"I-I was running and…then, there were…red eyes…that is all I remember. I-I'm sorry Naruto-kun. I just can't…"

Naruto looked at me, except, it didn't feel like it. It felt like he was seeing through me. Through everything.

"It's alright Sakura. I just want to check one thing, okay?"

"O-Okay." Almost on cue, the guys and Kakashi came into the room.

"She doesn't remember." Naruto said simply.

Kakashi stepped forward and looked at me. "Just hold on."

I cocked my head to the side in confusion. He put his hand on my shoulder and sighed.

"Kakashi. You're scaring me." I whispered. Ignoring me, Kakashi reached above his head and lifted his headband. My breathing caught my dry throat, and I'm sure they could feel my harsh breaths.

'T-That's…that's the…red eyes." I slowly backed away from Kakashi. Was he the one who attacked me? No, he couldn't have been.

"Were these the eyes you saw when you were attacked?"

"Yes…" How did he know I was attacked? Why does Kakashi have those eyes when he never appeared at the scene of the crime?

Images and pictures began flashing through my head. The red eyes. The blonde who pinned me down, the red-head who gave the orders to kill me, my parent's corpses, the piercing pain in my neck that made me pass out. The blood. All that blood. Everything came back to me.

I was shaking and staring intently at Kakashi's red eye as best as I could since my eyes were blinded by a pool of tears.

"Why are you doing…this to me?" I started crying. I couldn't pull my eyes away from Kakashi's.

"Kakashi, we should stop now. We do not need her for information we already know." Neji finally spoke. Kakashi nodded and removed his hand from my shaking shoulder, then put his bandana back over his eye. I felt myself frozen. Unable to move because of the state of shock I was in. I was confused. Thoughts were running through my head like the newspaper hit the streets. The images of that day. Everything was overwhelming and, finally, I found my escape. I wobbled and staggered until I hit Kakashi's body, unconscious once again.

**:**

I awoke in a room that could only belong to me. As I sat up straight in bed, I felt the sudden pain of my headache. What happened last night? All I remember was Naruto's tour, the situation on the steps and…I guess I got tired and went to sleep. As I pulled the covers off of me and sat on the edge of the bed, I heard my stomach growl unattractively.

I sighed loudly and stood up. In the process, I accidentally stepped on an envelope that must've fallen off when I removed my covers. I bent down and looked at the clothes I was wearing. I was wearing the same clothes I had on yesterday and I sighed in relief as I was assured I wasn't "tampered with"

I picked up the envelope and looked at it closely, trying to guess what was inside. The envelope was normal-sized with a small, rectangle shape bulging out of it. A CD? No, a CD wouldn't fit in an envelope. Or maybe a video game. Not that either since I didn't have a game system. Hmm…what could it be? There was only one way to find out. I sighed and opened the envelope. I read the card in it first and smiled when I saw the doodle on the front with a girl with pink hair holding bags and smiling brightly.

I opened the card and read what was inside.

'_Welcome to this house Sakura! I hope you slept okay and you like your gift. You seemed like the person who read the cards first so here ya go.'_

_-Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Sai and Kakashi_

I put the card down and picked the envelope up again. As I stuck my fingers in the envelope, I gasped in disbelief at what I pulled out.

A Visa credit card.

"Naruto-kun…" I whispered, remembering our conversation yesterday.

'_**Then we can buy you more stuff. It's no big deal.'**_

I sighed and turned the credit card over to see the amount.

10,000 dollars.

I quickly got dressed and ran down the stairs.

"Kakashi-san?" I asked frantically. I started wondering if I was the only bizarre person in this house. No normal person gave a weird, unknown girl ten-thousand dollars for the heck of it.

"Yes?" Kakashi appeared around the corner with sweat on his handsome face and damp hair. Before I could ask what he'd been doing, he smiled at me. "Training." I was still confused, but then I remembered why I came down the stairs in the first place. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the credit card.

"I cannot accept this gift."I put the card on the counter and pushed it towards him. Kakashi chuckled and pushed it back to me.

"It's too much money. I'm not even worth that much, Kakashi-san." I pushed it back again.

" Buy yourself something good. Unless you're Naruto, you can never have enough stuff."

"Naruto _does_ have a lot of stuff." I said to myself.

"Yeah, and you don't. So go ahead and get you something. You can even take your friends with you to shop."

I looked away at the ground." Um, that is not going to work."

Kakashi looked at me strangely." What's wrong with your friends?"

"N-Nothing, it's just…short notice that's all. Besides," I pit on the fakest of smiles. "I think shopping by yourself is better than having people thrusting stuff in your face."

"I guess. What are you going to use it on today?" I looked out the window and smiled at the peaceful blue skies and the butterflies dancing from flower to flower. It was beautiful.

"Hmm… I want to do something outrageous. Something no one expected me to do…"

Kakashi grabbed an apple from a nearby hand-woven basket."Outrageous, huh? How about…piercing your belly-button or your tongue?"

I grimaced." No thank you. That would be painful, wouldn't it?" Kakashi shrugged and tapped his long fingers on the table.

"How about… putting coloring in your hair?"

I giggled a little."I think my hair is naturally colorful enough. If I put anymore color in it, I'll end up looking like a rainbow."

"Your hair is naturally pink?" Kakashi asked in amazement. I nodded. "What color hair did your parents have?"

I hesitated and answered." My mother had red hair while my father had brown. When I was little he would always tell me my mother ate a lot of strawberry ice cream when she was pregnant, but that was just something to get me to go to sleep." I smiled to myself as I remembered how kind my father was until I hit thirteen.

**:**

'**Daddy? Why do my hairs look funny?' I would ask in my baby voice, not completely learning how to form a correct sentence.**

'**What's funny about it? It looks fine to me.'**

'**No. It's pink. I don't like it. Why my hairs not like yours or Mommy's?'**

'**That's because mommy used to eat a lot of ice cream when you were in her tummy.'**

**I gasped as I "realized" my hair was made of ice cream.**

'**What kind of scream?'**

'**Strawberry. It was her favorite.'**

'**I have scream hairs? Does that mean I'm scary?'**

'**Of course not.'**

'**Sensei says it makes me ooneek.'**

'**You mean unique?' My father kissed my nose and put the covers over my shoulders.**

'**Mm-hm. That too.'**

'**Goodnight sweetheart.'**

'**G'night daddy.'**

**:**

"Sakura? Are you alive," Kakashi was saying to me. I snapped back to reality and grinned, blushing at him.

"Sorry, I spaced out."

"Have you decided what you were doing with your money?"

"…Yes. I'm going to get a haircut."

"Good for you. Let me know when you're coming home so I can make sure you get in safely, okay?"

I smiled and nodded. I stuck the card back in my pocket and ran up the stairs, taking my shower, brushing my teeth and putting my hair in a ponytail. I settled in wearing my a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that said _"Dracula Isn't the Only One Who Bites" _and flip-flops. The shirt belonged to my only friend in the orphanage. We were exchanging clothes and I ended up with this shirt. She was adopted and never asked for the shirt back, so I kept it.

I left my bedroom and closed the door behind me. Just as I did, I noticed the moaning sounds coming from Sasuke's room. I looked his way and saw the door cracked and open, inviting the most curious of cats. Through the mirror that was in his room, I could see Sasuke kissing the girl's neck hungrily. I quickly turned away to give them some privacy, and I couldn't help but blush from embarrassment, What if Sasuke caught me spying on them? He would hate me more than he already did.

I found Naruto looking for something in the refrigerator and when he pulled several water bottles, and I noticed his clothes -an orange shirt with gray sweats, no socks, no shoes- I asked him what he was going to do today.

"Training." he told me.

"Is that what all of you do? Kakashi-san told me he was doing it too."

"Yeah. It's just to keep us in shape when the worst happens, you know?"

"Yeah… Maybe I can join you sometime." Naruto laughed at me." This is some hardcore stuff here. Only the toughest of tough people can withstand such a level of experience." Naruto glanced up the stairs and frowned.

"Does Sasuke do it too?"

"Yeah. He and I are the least experienced at this so we need all the training we can get."

I let that sink in. "Oh, then I won't stop you."

"Okay Sakura. See ya later. Oh yeah, by the way," Naruto smirked. "I like your shirt."

"Thanks." I replied. Naruto gave me a quick hug and went through the side door that led to the astonishing, outside work out center.

I grabbed one of my favorite books to read and started walking to the front door when I heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. I turned to see Sasuke and his girlfriend at the end of the steps. They shared a kiss and I heard Sasuke whisper something to her.

'See you tomorrow Ami. Love you." Ami was her name. She beamed at Sasuke, but frowned at me when she came my way.

"You're still here?" she spat.

"I…" I trailed off and looked away from Ami.

"Poor girl. I have her so whipped; she can't even look me in my eyes." Ami grabbed my chin and made me look in her cat-like eyes. "Make sure that doesn't happen again, got it, bitch?" I nodded.

"That's what I thought and do me a favor.," she pulled at my clothes. "While you're out, find yourself some new clothes. If I'm going to be over here a lot, I would want my undivided attention on Sasuke, not the shitty clothes you're wearing." She flipped her hair and left the house. I thought I saw something on her neck when she flipped her hair. What was it? I looked like the two holes that resembled mine, but I ignored it.

I turned to Sasuke and smiled a phony smile." H-Hello. I'm Saku-"

"I know who you are."

"Oh, w-well it's nice to meet-"

"Yeah whatever." Sasuke scoffed as he turned his heel and went out the side door, then slammed it closed with him on the other side.

**:**

I wasn't at the salon yet. Actually, I didn't even know where I was getting my hair cut. The whole idea just…popped in my head. Instead of chopping my hair off, I hid between two buildings in an alley way, hugging my knees and sobbing quietly. I was confused, yes. I was angry, that too. But I was also terrified of my entire situation. I wasn't wanted anywhere. My own family didn't want me around because they blamed me for the death of my parents, my old friends abandoned me, and my new family resented me. The only people I felt comfortable around were Naruto and Kakashi, and I knew in my head they just felt sorry for me.

Then there was Sasuke.

I never felt so terrible after a three second conversation. I tried to remember exactly what I did to make him so angry at me. I didn't say a thing to Ami either, yet she treated me like I stole her puppy or something. I knew one thing though. If it was up to Sasuke and his friends to make me feel better, they weren't doing a very good job at it.

"Excuse me?" I heard a high-pitched, soft voice rupture the silence.

"Hello? Are you okay?" another voice asked me in a worried, nervous tone.

I slowly looked up and sniffed, glancing at the two girls staring at me with bated breath. I wiped my tears and stood.

"What happened?!" asked a blonde-beauty with vivacious blue eyes. The girl next to the blonde sighed lightly. She had long raven hair that stopped at mid-back and incessant pearl eyes. I wondered if everyone on this side of town were so pretty.

"Are you okay?" the raven asked me softly. I nodded.

"What's your name, huh? I haven't seen you around here." The blonde pulled a tissue out of her sparkling purse and gave it to me.

"Me?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder.

"Yes."The raven smiled sweetly.

"Oh, I-I am Sakura Haruno."

"Hello Sakura. I'm Ino and that is Hinata."Ino smiled.

"How about we get some coffee? Then we can figure out an efficient way to make you feel better. Okay?" Hinata asked, smiling. Who were these people? And why are they being so nice? Maybe they knew Kakashi and he paid them to befriend me. I smiled back at her and reluctantly nodded, leaving with these two strangely friendly people; still unaware of what their intentions were.

**:**

"What were you planning to do today Sakura?" Hinata asked, placing the tray of drinks on the high table we were sitting at. We decided to go to a nearby café and talk. Jazz music hummed in the background and poetry was being read beautifully. It was all so peaceful and amazing.

"Actually, I planned on getting my hair cut a little but-"

"Really, that's where we were going. If you were up to it, you could come with us to our salon. It works magic."

"And it's expensive." Hinata added. I nodded.

"I can afford it."

Ino grinned."Cool. Let's go, let's go." She grabbed our hands and pulled us out of the café .

**:**

The whole process of getting my hair done was painful. I hadn't gotten my hair done professionally in so long, I wasn't surprised when the stylists were frowning and staring at my hair.

"Is this your natural color?" my stylist asked me. I nodded confused. "Um, okay. How did you want it today?"

"I planned on cutting it to right here." I said pointing to a spot on my back.

"Very well. I'll see to it you look as beautiful as ever." The woman smiled.

Then the torture started.

First I had to get my hair washed. Usually when I was 13, it felt relaxing when I was getting it washed. But now, they were pulling and massaging and scrubbing my scalp. It felt so bad, I was near tears. After that, she wrapped a white towel around my hair and dried it with her hands, which involved more pulling. When the whole washing process was complete, I could feel my entire abused scalp throbbing.

I was grateful to get a break when she put me under the hairdryer. Even though I had two hours to read my book I brought, I used this time to catch up on my much needed sleep. After that, my stylist blow dried my hair slowly.

'_The slower you blow dry the hair, the more straight it gets.'_ She told me. Not only did my hair get straight while blow drying, but it almost felt good. As they straightened my hair and combed through it, I felt all the weight leave my hair. Then I felt snipping noises from behind me, so I assumed she was cutting my hair now. The woman spun me around in my chair so I was facing the mirror. I gasped and in disbelief.

I looked so pretty.

I got out of my chair and thanked the stylist. "It looks amazing." I smiled, feeling a new found confidence building inside of me.

"Sakura!" Hinata and Ino called out to me. They had gotten their hair done just like mine, and they looked just as good as I did.

"You look amazing!" Hinata and Ino shouted in unison.

"T-Thank you, so do you." I paid for my hair, grabbed a card, and left with my friends.

**:**

After a few more hours of fun with my friends, I remembered I told Kakashi I was only getting my hair done, not hanging out. They gave me their numbers, even though I didn't own a cell phone, and bid my goodbye. I took the bus back to the mansion, but stopped a few blocks down the road so I didn't seem all too weird. As I finally reached the mansion I typed in the code Kakashi gave me and walked up the driveway and to the front door, which was already open for me. The mansion had all of its lights off, and because of its massive size, it was kind of creepy.

"Where is everybody? Naruto-kun, Kakashi-san?" I whispered. I reached for the light switch that was supposed to be next to the doorway, but felt a clasp on my wrist. I gasped and wrenched my body away from the hand only to hit my knee against the edge of a table. I seethed as I felt something run down my leg. Blood, it had to be. Thank god I couldn't see it.

"Ow…" I moaned.

I stood and started limping towards the front door again. It hurt so badly. I managed to open it halfway before it was slammed closed and I was thrown against it. I opened my mouth to scream, but a hand was pressed over it. I muffled a sound and closed my eyes tightly.

"Shh." The voice was one of a man's. I still couldn't see a thing in the dark, but the only thing I could go on was that it was a male attacking me, I was being bound to a door with no one around to hear me scream, and I was bleeding, for that I began to cry and whimper behind the hand on my mouth. The man pressed me harder against the door, so the door knob was digging into my back painfully. He restrained my hands above my head and heaved a sigh.

"I'll remove my hand from your mouth. If you scream, I'll kill you. You hear me?" I quickly nodded rapidly. He slowly removed his hand from my mouth and as soon as he did, I began sobbing loudly. I was scared, my knee was throbbing and numbed in pain, and my throat was arid.

"D-D-Don't kill me. D-Don't p-please." I pleaded through uncontrollable sobs.

"Shut the hell up. Begging makes me more pissed off. This is a test, so cooperate with me and you'll live. I'm going to move my hands from your wrists now. Don't run because you won't make it very far. Got it?" The stranger whispered.

"Y-Yes. Okay." I bit my lip to stop my sobbing, but the tears still fell. When his hands left my wrists, I fell to the ground, crying.

"Now Sakura. I can't do much with you on the ground." I felt myself being forced to my feet. I felt hands on my shoulders and a hand around my waist, holding me up.

"You look different tonight." He said.

"H-How do you know m-me. W-What do you w-want with me?" Instead of an answer, I felt hands on my body again. I felt a hand sliding up my shirt and fingers running through my hair.

"N-No." I whispered pulling away from him. There wasn't a second I was close to free. He was holding me so tightly.

"Mmm…l-let me…go!" I grabbed something on a dresser and threw it at him. I heard a shattering sound and, as soon as his grip loosened, I ran at top speed, ignoring the tables and counters and walls I ran into. I groped the wall for a light switch or a phone or something.

"Someone help me!! Help!" I screamed. I tripped on a step that led to a formal dining room. I fell on top of a vase. It crushed beneath me and felt a stabbing pain in my back. I screamed and cried again. I tried to stand, and turned around but found myself staring into crimson eyes.

"No…" I whispered.

"I told you not to run." It was those eyes. The ones that haunted me every waking day of my life from when I woke up, from when I went to sleep.

"Please no." I cried. I felt a hard, pressured slap against my face and I fell to the ground again.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's up to you." I tried to crawl away but was yanked up by my hair and thrown into the wall with a hanging mirror. The mirror was cracked and several shards impaled my back and arms. I could feel blood trickling down my forehead, to my cheek and running into the corner of my mouth.

I could taste the blood. I started hyperventilating in choppy breathes. Just the thought of blood was enough to scare me. But the iron liquid was in my mouth. I couldn't breathe and…for some reason, I stopped trying to save myself. I gave up. I stood crying, wheezing and waiting for this monster to kill me.

I recall hearing from my old friends that the last moments of your life were the most peaceful. And that's how I felt. Even as the attacker buried his face in my neck and kissed it gently, then licked it, I was peaceful. _Even _as he traced his tongue over my neck and bit down just as his blonde friend did all those years ago.

I yelped at first while tensing. Then, all the pain dispersed. Unlike last time, it felt good and pleasurable. Comforting and addicting. _Intoxicating._ He pressed his face firmer against my neck and I couldn't help but moan loudly.

It felt so good.

"Aah…" I whispered.

Not only was I feeling something I've never felt before, but I was feeling light-headed and dizzy. I felt like if I didn't get away from this "thing", I would die for real.

"No…" I whispered coming back to my senses. I placed my hands on his chest when he ignored me.

"St-Stop. No!" I used the last bit of strength I had left to scream and push the stranger away from me. I gasped when I felt a murderous pain in my neck and winced when I felt blood running down it. I ran through what seemed to be one of the millions of living rooms and found the doorknob. I quickly swung the door open. I quickly ran out, but bumped into a hard body on the way. I closed my eyes as I felt calloused hands keeping me steady. Please don't be him, I prayed. I opened my eyes and thankfully found Naruto and the others staring at me with shock in their eyes.

"N-Naruto-kun. M-M-Monster…living room…e-eyes… I-I…" I stammered through tears.

"Shh, Sakura. Just breathe okay?" Naruto soothed. I stared at him wide-eyed. After that, everything started sinking in, and I found myself in a daze.

"Sakura?" Shikamaru touched my shoulder. I stood standing in Naruto's arms, not moving an inch.

"She's in shock, take her inside." Kakashi ordered. I didn't remember when I walked in the room, or sat down on the couch. All I knew was that as soon as we entered the mansion, Naruto disappeared.

"N-N-Naruto-kun… where are y-you?" I whispered.

"He's in the other living room to see what happened."

I froze." No. Get him o-out of there!" I ran out of my seat when I felt a strong, powerful blast of energy. I gasped when I heard several shattering glasses.

"No…" I whispered to myself.

I finally reached the living room and found Naruto in one piece. I looked around the room for the attacker. Except…all I found was Naruto with his hands around Sasuke's throat.

**Well then people. This is the story with the longest chapter. I really hope you like it cause I love you all to pieces. Also, in the beginning, the quote is mine. I had a brain fart and...yeah. For those of you who comment on Sakura's quiet personality, i made her weak for a reason. It's so, throughout the story, you can see how her actions and personality grows and so she can become more outgoing. And, there will be a time in the story where she reaches her breaking point and fights back. Yeah. Oh, and Kakashi, Naruto, Shikamaru, Sai, Neji and Sasuke are vampires. Love you guys. Last thing. I want to apologize about the centering in the story. I thought it looked kind of cool when i was typing but when i went back over it when i got more comments, i realized it was confusing. So i apologize. Don't worry cause I'll update ASAP. **

**-Jazz Out**


	2. Chapter 2

**Dedicated to: ThisIsMyTypeOfCrack for keeping this story going. ( Thank-you Ginny) And of course all of my peeps who reviewed the first chapter.**

**Rated: M for later Chapters**

**Answers to Questions:**

**Crimson Cheif: Yes. Sasuke was the attacker.**

**cherrilatina: Don't die before you finish reading!**

**bleepbloopbanana: Thank you for the Constructive Criticism.**

**nicolerogersXX: I read your story. Update!**

**Twinnet: You aren't the only one who wants to rip Sasuke to shreds :D**

**x0x0x0Raina-himex0x0x0: Sasuke was the attacker and Itachi is in this story.**

**Merridaine: Thnx for taking interest in this vampire fic.**

**Hikaru Takahashi: Sasuke's girlfriend is bitchy…for now! Muwahaha! JK**

**Emumoon: Sakura wasn't afraid to get her hair cut, she just hadn't gotten done in a long time so when she did, it was painful. I'll explain why the attacker (Sasuke) called it a test later in the story. The other guys didn't hear the crashes because they weren't in the house.**

**xXTroublesomeGirlxX: Here's the update you wanted :D**

**To All Of My Reviewers, Thank You And Enjoy.**

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 2**

I finally reached the living room and found Naruto in one piece. I looked around the room for the attacker; except…all I found was Naruto with his hands around Sasuke's throat.

"Naruto-kun? Wh-What is going on? W-Where is he?" I whispered, digging into the skin in my hands out of anxiety. Naruto looked at me with the expression of uncertainty. He then turned to Sasuke and dropped him. Sasuke merely scoffed and smirked at Naruto.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Sasuke?''

"I was hungry; is that a crime?" Sasuke shrugged. What were _they _talking about? What did food have to do with anything that just happened to me? Lord help me. Naruto glared intensely, terrifying enough to scare me. I thought I saw red clouds or some kind of mysterious aura sprouting from Naruto.

"Na…"

"Naruto, calm down." I turned my heavy head to see Kakashi and everyone else, Shikamaru and Sai talking to Sasuke, and Kakashi with Neji and me by his side.

"You dumbass. You can't do anything to me and you know it, so don't try to act tough over something as little as this." Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Shut up already Sasuke," Shikamaru warned. "You've done enough already."

"Tch. It's not my fault. You all know animal blood isn't satisfying. Just once, I decide to do something a little different. Is that against vamp-"

Naruto growled deeply, stopping Sasuke mid-sentence. "Whatever." Sasuke yawned and turned to me, walking in, what seemed, slow motion. As he was within several feet of me, my instinct screamed at me to back up. And for once I listened. I took a step back each time he took one forward. What the heck was he doing?

"Stop." I told him. He was scaring me.

"What? Are you afraid of me?" Sasuke taunted. He stopped inches in front of me, close enough as so I could feel his breath. "Let me tell you something," Sasuke inched closer to me, closing the gap between our bodies. "It can be our secret." I stiffened and held my breath.

Sasuke bent down-I was much shorter than he was-and touched his lips to my ear. "You tasted good." His breath tickled and sent shivers down my spine.

"What?" I turned to face Sasuke but he was already gone. I turned back to Kakashi who cursed under his breath.

"Sakura. Come with me." He said walking passed me. I hesitated, but reluctantly followed him up the stairs.

_Tap._

_Tap._

Our steps were nothing but lifeless echoes against the hardwood floor stairs. The silence was unbearable. So many thoughts ran through my head, waiting to be answered. All of a sudden, there was a powerful, excruciating pain around my neck area. I stopped my walking and leaned against the wall, groping my neck.

"Sakura. Where'd you…" Kakashi started before he turned around, but when he did and saw me, he stopped.

"I-I'm sorry, just… hold on." I shut my eyes and waited for the pain to go away, but it refused and fought back. "Ow…"

"What hurts?" Then, to make matters worse, my legs buckled beneath me and my vision blurred, but not because of tears. Kakashi grabbed my arms and helped me up.

"What hurts?" Kakashi repeated.

"Everything," I whispered, leaning on his broad shoulder for support. "Everything hurts." I was a little bit angry because I couldn't go to sleep or pass out. I had to deal with this nonsense. My head span and…something didn't seem right with me at all, and if I had more reasonable questions to ask, I wouldn't asked,

"Am I going t-to die?" I expected some reassurance, but got none.

"I don't know." He responded. I winced.

"Wh-What do you mean…you don't k-know?" Kakashi sighed and started pulling the stray shards of glass out of my body. My body was numb so I couldn't feel a thing.

"I don't know if you'll live or not. It's just a matter of luck." Kakashi replied calmly. Too calmly that is. At this point I was about to explode. Not from pain but anger. I never get this angry, and boy I felt sorry for Kakashi.

"What the hell is going on!? You keep dodging the real problem! Now tell me now or so help me I will…" I trailed off. I couldn't do anything. Not a thing. I was just shouting empty, pointless threats. "I'm sorry." Somewhere during my rant, I stood up, so I sat back down, embarrassed, confused and still a little mad.

"It's fine" Kakashi started cleaning the wounds with a washcloth. "It is completely understandable. I'll even tell you the real problem at hand." Kakashi rubbed my arm with his hand, then a green aura enveloped my arm, making the pain disappear. Kakashi did this for the parts the glass was in.

"What is…" I trailed off and sighed. I had a feeling my questions were going to be answered soon.

"**Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Sai, Sasuke and I are vampires." **Kakashi said, looking at me expectantly.

"Huh?" Was all I could say.

"We are all vampires. Blood sucking monsters."

"…" I paused. This explained the biting and the small conversation Naruto was having with Sasuke about the hunger and animal blood.

"Are you guys the good ones?"

"Somewhat." Kakashi finished healing me.

"W-What about Sasuke?"

"He's a rebel; different from most vampires. He's going through a mid-life crisis you can say, but deep down he's really just confused.''

"Did he…do that…downstairs?"

Kakashi hesitated but answered. "Yes."

"Is it my fault?"

"No. Sasuke was just…taking advantage of you. Usually when vampires haven't met the needs of human blood, they take it from the first person they can find."

I thought and remembered the events that occurred earlier today. "This morning, the girl he had over… I thought I saw the holes on her neck, and yesterday I think he was sucking her blood. If he already took blood from that girl, why would he need me?"

"He was taking advantage of you for sure. In truth, he shouldn't have been hungry at all after feeding yesterday. Sorry."

"About the girls he has upstairs. Do they know you all are vampires?"

"No. They are attracted to Sasuke and he invites them over. Before he takes their blood, he puts on a spell to make them forget its happening. Afterwards, they just think they were having a little fun. And the marks on her neck are gone before they notice them."

"Oh," At least my question was answered. Sasuke didn't like me, and I didn't like him; probably the only thing he and I would ever agree on.

"Tell me about them… vampires I mean." I said, suddenly intrigued.

"What do you want to know?"

"Does the sunlight hurt you?" I bit my lip, hoping I didn't sound too stupid.

Kakashi just smiled. "No. That's what most people think when they think of a vampire, but really it doesn't hurt."

"Oh…do you…have fangs?"

"Actually we do." Kakashi opened his mouth, and I watched in amazement when I saw them extend. "There are holes in the very bottom that draw up blood."

"That's sounds like it hurts your teeth."

Kakashi smiled at me. "The whole process of becoming a full-fledged vampire is painful itself. But not sucking blood. It's actually an enjoyable thing." I almost blushed when I remembered how stimulated I was when Sasuke was sucking my blood.

"Don't worry about the Sasuke thing. It's only natural." I gasped.

"How'd you…"

"Each vampire comes with a special ability. Mine is mind reading."

I frowned. "Have you been reading my mind this whole time?" I wasn't even safe inside my own head.

"No. Only when I can't tell what's going on by your expression."

"Are you…undead?"

Kakashi nodded. " We were all killed a long time ago as humans, but revived as vampires."

I wondered if my expression showed how cool I thought that was, or if Kakashi had to go in my head for that too.

"I have one more question." I said, looking at the small drops of blood on my hands. I quickly turned them over and looked at Kakashi.

"Hm?"

"The ones who attacked me before…were those…vampires too? I can't remember that much."

"They were; the bad kind. Listen to me Sakura, if you ever see those three again, you have to tell us. They're Itachi, Sasori and Deidara…The Three Wanted Vampire. Itachi was the one with the red eyes, Deidara was the one who bit you and Sasori was the one with the red hair."

I nodded and yawned, suddenly realizing how tired I was. And the fact that the pain was gone.

"Come on. You have to get some sleep." Kakashi grabbed my hand and led me to my room. This was the first time I actually remember walking to my room and going to bed since I moved here. When we passed Neji's and Shikamaru's room, I found myself staring at _my _empty room. I climbed in the bed-more like collapsed-and almost immediately fell asleep.

"Goodnight Kakashi-san." I whispered.

"Night." Kakashi kissed my forehead, turned the light off, and left the room,

_**:**_

_**Run left, run right…**_

_**Everywhere I turned, he was there. Blood red eyes, glass, pain, laughter, screams, and tears…I couldn't get away from him. My screams were pointless and a waste of energy I really needed. I gasped when he materialized in front of me, grabbing me by my throat, choking and squeezing me. I grabbed on to his wrists and dug my nails in his skin.**_

"_**N-No…" I begged. "Stop." He only squeezed harder, disabling my breathing. Harder. I gasped for air but found none. Harder. This was it; I was done for. Just when I was breathing my last breath of air, he let go, and I was running again, choking and coughing while tripping over my feet. I looked back and saw nothing, but when I looked forward, there he was; a dark silhouette with the  
crimson eyes. But whom did they belong to? Itachi or Sasuke? Who was I more afraid of…**_

_**:**_

"Sakura. Sakura!" My eyes shot open and I sat up in bed, finding Neji and Shikamaru staring at me with worried expressions.

"What…?" I asked harried.

Neji sighed in relief. "You were having a nightmare."

" Are you alright?" Shikamaru smiled when I nodded.

"How do you feel? Any better at all?"

"I feel great," I exclaimed truthfully. I did though. All the pain was gone, which left me nothing but happy feelings. "Just fine."

"Neji smirked and got up off of his knees. "Good, because today is your first day of school."

I glanced at the alarm clock on the dresser next to my bed, which read 4:37 A.M. "School?" I realized since I moved here, I would have to transfer schools.

"Yes. Kakashi has your uniform in the closet already, so you can get ready now."

"Okay. Thank you." They left me quietly and I rolled out of bed, opening the closet door that every girl wanted. Then I pulled out the school uniform. I was still trying to get over the fact that my closet actually had a door, but the uniform was amazing.

It included a black sweater with white cuffs and collar, and a tan plaid tie. The skirt was also plaid and tan and was topped off with black flat shoes. On the sweater were the initials, S.A in fancy cursive writing.

I sighed happily and put the uniform on my bed. I tied up my hair since I just got it done the day before, and took my shower. Once out, I brushed my teeth and my hair, and got dressed. I looked at the time, which now read 5:51 A.M. I practically ran down the stairs since I was so excited, but regained my composure once I finally reached the bottom.

Naruto was eating a bowl of instant ramen, oriental flavored, Shikamaru was outside smoking a cigarette, Neji was reading a book. I could barely make out the name, but I think it said Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. Sai was flipping carelessly through channels on the television and Kakashi was sipping on coffee, but Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

When Naruto saw me, he stared for a few seconds before asking a question.

"Mar mu wewy?" he asked with a mouthful of ramen.

I cocked my head and smiled. "Huh?"

"Wha?" Naruto asked again.

"She didn't understand you Naruto." Sai said amused while continuing to flip channels, finally settling on music videos.

"Oh." Naruto swallowed his food and smiled. "I said are you ready?"

"Yes. I just need a bag. I…don't have one."

"Oh. While we were out, we got you on. It's already in the car." Kakashi told me.

"Okay."

Neji glanced up from his book. "Aren't you hungry?" I paused and shook my head.

"Not really." The last I remember eating was yesterday with Ino and Hinata, but my stomach was just fine.

Kakashi sighed heavily and spoke. "Alright, lets go." Naruto put his bowl in the sink; Neji put his book in his bag and Sai turn off the TV. Once we all reached outside, Shikamaru put his cigarette in an astray and reached in his pocket, pulling out car keys. The others did the same thing.

"Sakura, you can just ride with me." Kakashi hopped in the car and placed a bag I my lap. "There." It was a white, patent leather tote bag. On the front, there was a silver plate with the initials. D&G.

"Dolce and Gabbana?"

"Yeah. Do you like it?"

"I love it. Thank you so much."

"Thank Naruto and Sai. They picked it out. I probably would've ended up getting you a pink Hello Kitty bag."

I smiled. "I'm definitely going to thank them at school." Kakashi pulled out of the driveway and the others followed with their equally amazing cars.

Naruto had a Lamborghini Murciélago, Neji had a Aston Martin Vanquish, Shikamaru a Ferrari Enzo Coupe, and Sai had a Bugatti Veyron. Those were some of the most expensive cars in the world. How they could afford them all? I don't know…I didn't want to know.

"We're here." I looked out Kakashi's driver window and smiled.

"Sarutobi Academy." I hopped out the car and looked at it. Awesome. Cliques hung out on the front steps, skater boys did risky tricks on the rails and sidewalks; some kids did their homework on the grass while jerks tried to steal it. Some rebellious girls added clothing to their uniform, and some took clothing off, but I quickly decided to keep my uniform the way it was. That's when I spotted them; Sasuke flirting with a different girl from yesterday. She had red spiky hair that was long in the front and shorter in the back, and red eyes with black glasses.

' _**Don't worry about that son of a bitch.' **_I spun around and saw Naruto looking for something in his bag and Kakashi was shoving something in _his_ bag. So who was talking to me?

'_**It's me, you Inner voice. Don't let Sasuke get to you, he's not worth it.'**_ I agreed with my voice. Sasuke wasn't worth it at all. He was just an estranged vampire who needed help.

'_**Yep. Anyways, before you get in there I have to give you a word of advice. These girls will eat you alive if you don't stand up for yourself. Be assertive and don't take any crap from anybody. Act like…me. And if there's a point when you get really mad or scared or anything else, I'll take over your body and handle the situation on my own. Think of me as your guardian angel.'**_

'_Okay.'_

' _**So what are you going to do when some bitch comes up to you and pisses you off?'**_

' _Be assertive and don't take any crap from her…?'_

' _**Close enough. Now go in there and make me proud!'**_

"Kakashi-san, I'm going to the front office."

"Okay. If you get lost use a map or ask for help." I nodded and started walking up the sidewalk and up the stairs. I could feel Sasuke and his friend staring daggers at me. I turned to say something and just as I did, they brushed past me, nearly knocking me over. I was going to do something but they were already gone. Maybe this whole assertive thing wasn't a good idea after all. My Inner cleared her throat.

'_Sorry Inner. This isn't really my thing."_

"_**I know. But I'd be damned if you become a pushover. That isn't happening; not today, not tomorrow, not ever.' Inner sighed and thought. 'Just keep going, I'll let you know when to stop."**_I shrugged and picked up my bag that fell. As soon as I bent over and picked up my bag, I felt a firm _tap _on my butt. I shot up and looked for the culprit.

"Nice ass, baby." I gasped when a boy with a skateboard in his hand winked and rolled off.

' _**Bastard.' **_My Inner growled. _**'You could've kicked him.'**_

'_Oh…oops. That happens all the time anyway. It's no big deal.'_

'_**Whatever Sakura. But the next time, you better do something.'**_

'_Fine fine.'_

I slowly walked through the double doors in the front of steps and. As I opened the door, there was a burst of uproar. I couldn't see much because of all the people, but I did find one boy who wasn't running around.

"U-Um, excuse me?" I tapped his shoulder. His back was facing me so I couldn't see his face. I think he was explaining something to his friend, but when he saw me, he shooed them off and gave me his undivided attention.

"And what can I do for you?" Why was I always the short one?

"Can you show me where the front o-office is?" I asked him and frowned when he smirked at me. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, but you look good. Are you new here?" I nodded. "Okay then. It's down this hall, make two lefts, then a right." Kiba pointed straight ahead.

"Thank you." I started to leave but he grabbed my wrist.

"Hold up. What's your name?"

"S-Sakura."

"Kiba. Nice to meet you."

"Uh, you too. I, um, have to go. Thanks for your help bye!" I scurried away from Kiba and sighed I relief.

'_**Creep.'**_

'_He wasn't that bad. He was just…making me late.'_

'_**Sure.' **_ Inner scoffed. While I was talking to myself, I wasn't paying attention to the real world and I accidentally bumped into someone. He ended up knocking the books out of my bag and on to the ground. I inwardly sighed.

'_**You're clumsy aren't you.'**_

' _A little.'_

"I'm sorry." I picked up the books that fell and quickly stuffed them in my bag. "I didn't mean to…"

The person turned around and looked at me with exasperation. "What Sakura?" Sasuke snapped.

"Nothing. Forget it." I said, matching his annoyed tone. I turned away and rolled my eyes. The more I looked at this person, the more I hated him.

' _**Good job. You sure left him confused.'**_

'_That's his fault, not mine. I try to be a nice person but-'_

"Hey!"

'_**What now?' **_ I turned and found three girls walking up to me.

"What?" Oh man. The caught me in a bad mood. It was the girl from two days ago. Sasuke called her Ami. The one who shoved me over on the steps was there and another with shoulder length brown hair.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Going to the front office. Is there a problem?"

" You were not on your way to the front office, you were talking to Sasuke."

"Well obviously you caught me at the wrong time because I wasn't talking to him." I turned away and started walking.

"Excuse me, I wasn't finished talking to you." Ami grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face her. On impulse, I slapped her hand away.

'_Are you taking over?' _I thought. There's no way I was doing all of this by myself.

'_**Nope. You're completely in control. I didn't think you had it in you.'**_

'_I don't.'_

"Don't touch me." I snapped.

The girls paused and looked at me with hatred. "_You_ don't touch _me_." Ami got in my face.

' _**This bitch is really asking for it.'**_

' _I'm not fighting.'_

'_**Yeah but you've done everything but. This is fun.' **_Inner laughed. _**'Come on Sakura. One slap, that's all I need to be content.'**_

" You better watch what you say to me."

" Why should I? I don't take orders from you." My heart was beating fast. Was I pushing it?

"Well if you want to make it in this high school without getting your pretty little face messed up, I suggest you do."

"Is it your job to scare me on my first day? Because if it is, you aren't doing a good job of it."

"Didn't I just say watch how you talk to me?"

"Didn't I just say I didn't take orders from you?"

Ami smiled mischievously. "You little bitch."

' _**No she didn't! Say something back! Now.'**_

'_But I don't like to swear-'_

' _**Do it.'**_

I took a deep breath and spoke. "I don't give a damn what you call me. Call me a bitch all you want, but really you're only proving how much of a bitch _you_ really are."

"Ami. We should forget this girl." The brown-headed girl said.

"Shut up Rin. I have this under control."

"You know _Ami_," I mocked Rin's small voice. "You really should listen to your friends. It looks like they know more than you do." With that, I turned away again and walked.

' _**Who knew solving problems with words was that fun. I'm proud of you…hey. Hold up, what the hell is she-'**_

"Karin. You think Ami should stop, right?" Rin asked the redhead.

"Shh ."

Ami walked up to me again, but this time instead of words, she slapped me.

' _**Holy shit! If you don't kill her, I will." Inner screamed.**_

' _Wait, wait. It's okay.'_

I didn't know what to do next, so I settled for pushing her back into her friends and getting in _her_ face.

" You may not be finished talking to me, but I am definitely finished talking to you."

"I'm just going to give you a heads up. You better stay away from Sasuke."

"All this crap for someone like him," I rolled my eyes. "Consider it done. You can have him." Without any further arguments, I turned my heel for the third time and left the three guys.

"Sakura!" I bit my lip and turned around. "What-"

"Hey. Are you okay? It looks like someone pissed you off." Naruto smiled.

"Oh. It's just a few girls, that's all. No big deal Naruto-kun." I forced an uneasy smile.

"Them?" Naruto gestured to Ami, Karin and Rin.

"Yeah. But I think the problem is solved because they told me to stay away from Sasuke."

"Those are just his delusional fan girls. Don't even waste your time. Did you make it to the front office?"

"No, but someone told me where it was."

"Kay. I'll see you in homeroom then." Naruto smiled again and ran off.

' _**Go Sakura! Woohoo," **_Inner shouted jumping up and down. _**'That bitch isn't gonna mess with you ever again. You totally told her off. Hell yeah!'**_

' _I did?'_

'_**Are you kidding me? You should've seen it. It looked like she wanted to rip your eyes out.'**_

'_Should I be worried?'_

'_**Nope. I have your back.'**_

'_Which brings me back to should I be worried?'_

'_**You can trust me. I'm you!'**_

'_Which part of me?'_

' _**The part that just recently showed. The badass bitch.'**_

'_Oh…okay.'_

Finally, I was off to the front office. It was long enough to blow off steam, so when I got in there, I was a happy camper.

"Excuse me?" I asked nicely when I reached the front office. The woman was bent over so I could only make out blonde hair.

"What?" The woman shot up and looked up. "Oh you're new right?"

"Uh-huh."

"What's your name?" The woman yawned.

" Sakura Haruno."

"Oh. You're Kakashi's daughter." I nodded.

"I'm Tsunade. It's nice to finally meet you Sakura Haruno. So did Kakashi already tell you?"

I wondered what she was talking about, and then I remembered what Kakashi told me last night.

"About the…"

"Vampires? Yes."

"He did. Can you read minds too?"

"No, I just guessed." Tsunade smiled at me.

"But what if Kakashi-san didn't tell me?"

Tsunade shrugged. "Then I can erase it from your mind and make it so I never asked the question."

"You're a vampire too?"

"Yup."

"Cool…"

"I know. Now then Ms. Haruno, Kakashi has already given you your books so all you need is your schedule." Tsunade handed me my schedule and I looked at it.

**Schedule: Haruno Sakura**

**1****st****- Homeroom- Kakashi Hatake**

**2****nd****- Special Math- Kakashi Hatake **

**3****rd****- Tennis- Might Guy**

**4****th****- Arts/ Lunch- Jiraiya**

**5****th****- Special Science- Asuma Sarutobi **

**6****th****- Special Social Studies- Kurenai Yuhi**

**7****th****- Dismissal**

"You're a smart girl Sakura. You have _three_ special classes."

"Thank you."

" So if there's any questions or issues you want to talk about, I'm here."

"Okay. May I have a map? I don't want to get lost again." Tsunade handed me a long piece of paper.

"There."

"Thank you. Goodbye." I turned and left.

'_**Your moods sure do change quickly.'**_

'_They do?'_

' _**Hell yeah they do. Fifteen minutes ago you were ready to go at it with Ami and her flunkies, now you were sweet-talking the principle. The Two Sides of Sakura I guess.'**_

' _The other side I haven't used in years. I'm not planning to change that.'_

'_**Go to homeroom. You're gonna be late on your first day.'**_

'_Fine.'_

**:**

Even though I rushed to homeroom, I was late, but luckily I had Kakashi as a homeroom teacher so I didn't get in trouble. Call it taking advantage.

"Did you find everything okay?"

"Somewhat. Where do I sit?" I asked looking at the group of wild kids. Then I heard my name through the crowd.

"Sakura! Over here!" I gasped.

"Ino?"

"You know her?" Kakashi looked at me confused.

"She's a friend." I smiled and walked over to sit with my companions.

**:**

"This is so cool. I can't believe you guys go here." I bit into my sandwich and quickly spit it back out in my napkin. "Eew…That taste horrible!"

"Sorry Sakura," apologized Tenten and Temari, Ino's and Hinata's other friends. "We forgot to tell you this food is awful." When I did a double take, I saw that they all brought their own lunches; and when I looked around the lunchroom, people either had a sack lunch, or nothing at all.

"At least I'm not hungry anymore." I joked.

"Sakura. You look so adorable in your uniform!" Ino said.

"I do?" I asked. The girls nodded.

"Of course you do. Don't even tell me boys haven't hit on you yet."

"Well um, there was this guy on the steps and the one who helped me with the front office. I think his name was Kiba. But other that that-"

"Kiba?!"

"Um, uh-huh."

"Ugh that idiot. He's always hitting on the new girls." Hinata rolled her eyes.

"You said he helped you find the front office?" Tenten asked.

"He did. Even though I ended up being late because…never mind."

" Because what? Because what?"

"Just a few girls got in my way. No big-"

"Which ones?!" The girls were almost out of their seats now.

" Uh, Ami, Rin and K-Karin…you guys are scaring me."

The girls almost shrunk back down to their normal sizes. "Those stupid bitches," Ino started. " I swear, on day my time will come when I…what did they say to you."

"They-" I stopped when a boy came up to me and stared.

"Hey. You're the new girl right?"

I nodded. "Well I saw what you did to Ami and her friends this morning. When you pushed her and told her off? Good job." And with that he walked away. I sighed and looked at my friends.

"Before you say anything-"

"Oh."

"My."

"God."

"Sakura!"

"Huh?" I bit my lip and smiled uneasily.

"You did that?"

"It's no big deal." I giggled.

"You lie! It's a major big deal," Hinata smiled. "What exactly happened?"

"_All_ the details." Temari quickly added.

"Fine. Before I do, I want to tell you something." I hesitated. I didn't want them to know Kakashi adopted me because they might treat me differently, but I was going to do it anyways. "K-Kakashi-san…adopted me a few days ago."

"He did?" Tenten asked. I nodded.

"So that means you live in that giant-"

"Humungous-"

"Mansion up the hill?"

"Yep."

""And that means you're their sister?" Temari gestured towards the table where my brothers sat. I nodded again.

"By default."

"…Wow." It didn't seem they cared about the whole thing, which was good for me because now I knew these friends were to stay.

"That's really awesome."

"Sakura, get on with the story."

"Sasuke and I aren't the best of friends so on my way to the office I bumped into him and he talked to me very rudely. So I was annoyed when Ami came up to me asking what I was doing. I told her I was on my way to the office but she didn't believe me. Apparently, I was chatting it up with Sasuke."

"Typical Ami." Tenten snorted

" Well one thing led to another and she called me a-"

' _**Suck it up and say it.'**_

"-bitch. I called her one back and she slapped me and I pushed her. She told me to stay away from Sasuke and I happily agreed…that's it."

"…"

"…"

"Whoa."

"Go Sakura!"

"Ooh. What did her face look like?" Hinata grinned.

"…Like she wanted to rip my eyes out."

"Look out Ami!" Ino shouted.

"Hey Sakura?" Temari started.

"Hm?"

"Why don't you like Sasuke?" I sighed and wished she didn't ask that question. There were so many things I hated about him, yet one thing I liked. His looks.

"Yeah. Have you seen that guy?" Ino asked.

"Ino. She lives with that guy." Tenten pointed out the obvious.

"My point exactly. He's beautiful!"

"Yeah with a bad attitude. The way he treats people…I don't like it."

'_**Yeah, he's an asshole.'**_

"Well if you don't take him, I will." Ino joked.

"Which one do you _really_ like Ino? You don't really like Sasuke, do you?" Hinata smirked.

"Well," Ino blushed. "If you must know, it's Sai."

We all gasped. "Really? Sai?" Hinata smiled.

"Yes. And what about you Ms. Hinata?"

Hinata's turn to blush, I guess.

"Uh, um, N-Naruto."

"Ha! I knew it!" Temari said excitedly. "The way you look at him soo gives it away." Tenten nodded.

"Well what about you?"

"Shikamaru."

"You and lazy boy? Can you see that?" Ino asked me. This was funny.

"Did you notice you two almost have the same hairstyle?" Tenten laughed.

"Don't get me started Tenten Hyuuga."

"Neji?" I asked Tenten. She nodded.

"Yeah."

"You guys picked the exact opposite of yourselves." I said. "Ino, you're kinda loud and fastidious, and Sai is quiet and teasing. Hinata, don't get me started. You're somewhat shy and random while Naruto-kun is noisy and out-there. And Temari you're overbearing while Shikamaru is lazy and laid-back." The girl's nodded. "And Tenten, you're rough while Neji is sophisticated.

"I absolutely agree, but opposites attract."

"Besides Sakura," Temari sneered. "You forgot someone."

"Yup. You sure did." Hinata, Tenten and Ino smiled at me.

"Mysterious, quiet, alone…"

"Out there, kind…"

"Get the picture?"

It took me a while to figure it out. "Me…and Sasuke?"

"You guys make the perfect couple." Ino made a heart with her fingers. "You two complete each other!"

"That's…disgusting. I could never see myself with Sasuke. No way!" Just the thought sent shivers down my spine. Sasuke, who took advantage of girls and used them for blood and other things he shouldn't.

"Aaw come on Sakura! What if he changed or something?"

"Nope."

"You're harsh. At least we know whichever guy you really pick is going to be a good one. You are _pick-y_." Ino exaggerated the last word.

"That's right." I giggled and they laughed along.

"So. We are going shopping on Saturday. We'll probably head out to the mall. There's this new boutique that opened last weekend and I'm dying to go try it out. Are you in?"

"I'll have to ask Kakashi-san, but I'm sure it's okay."

"Awesome!"

**:**

Finally, it was Saturday, and I had nothing to wear. I had my favorite brown tank top I could wear, but couldn't find any bottoms to go with it. Believe it or not, I didn't own a skirt, and jeans were too hot for the season. The only cute choice I had for bottoms was my school skirt. The browns matched perfectly and I had some flip-flops to go with. And no one would know I was wearing my school uniform, so why not?

I hurried and changed and ran in the bathroom. What to do with my hair? Down? Ponytail? I decided to put some of it up towards the back, and leave the rest down. Cute.

"Kakashi-san. I'm going out now!" I said once I went downstairs. I grabbed my Visa card and put it in my white Dolce bag. The car was honking outside, but I couldn't find anyone. I walked to the kitchen and saw a note on the counter.

_Sakura,_

_I went hunting so we'll see you when you get home. Who knows where the others went? Have fun today._

_- Kakashi_

I smiled and ran outside. Locking the door with the key Kakashi gave me. The driveway to the gate was long and endless, and I wondered if I would ever reach the end before the night was over, but I did and hopped in Ino's Mercedes Benz Convertible.

"You look cute!" Ino said through the loud music. Ino drove and Temari sat in the passengers seat. I squeezed in the middle, leaving Tenten on my left and Hinata on my right.

"Thank-you! You too!" They all looked cute. Ino had on a baby blue tank top with a blue-striped mini skirt. Her eyes were hidden by the white shades she had on. Hinata had a purple baby doll shirt with a blue faded mini-skirt with a silver, shiny belt to go over it.

Tenten had an orange twist tube top with a starlite miniskirt. She had black shades to hide her eyes. Temari had a tight-fitting black logo tee that said _'Long Live Blondes'_ in hot pink, and a short, black skirt.

"I think we all look pretty good for shopping." Temari smiled. Tenten reached in her purse and pulled out a CD case.

"Hey Ino, put this in." Ino took it and exchanged the one that was in for the one Tenten gave her.

"What song is this?" I asked.

"Alumina by Nightmare." Tenten explained.

"Who?" I tried to see if I knew the name, but it didn't ring any bells.

"You've never heard of Nightmare?" Temari and Ino gasped dramatically.

"I haven't either." Hinata agreed with me.

"Alright. Here it is."

_**Nagareru toki no naka mabataku setsuna teki kirameki wo**_

_**Kono yo no kioku ni kizamu tame aruki tsuzukeru Believer**_

_**Dare ni mo mirenai yume wo mite iranai mono wa subete suteta**_

_**Yuzurenai omoi kono mune ni yadoshite**_

_**Mada riaru to idearu no hazama ni ite gisei no kase ni ashi wo torarete mo**_

_**Afureru shoudou osae kirenai tsuyoku motomeru kokoro ga aru kara**_

Tenten and Ino sung along from this point.

_**"itsuwari" "osore" "kyoshoku" "urei" samazama na negatibu ni**_

_**Torawareru hodo yowaku wa nai kodoku mo shiranu trickster**_

_**Yozora wo tsukisasu biru no mure boshi nado mienai sora miage**_

_**"mayoi wa nai ka" to jibun ni toikakeru**_

_**Kono machi juu afureru mono ni mamire**_

_**Utsutsu wo nukasu you na koto wa nai**_

_**Asu e to tsunagaru michi no hate de kono te ni tsukamu mono wo mitai kara**_

_**Mabuta wo toji ishiki no umi ni ukan de omoi egaku**_

_**Risou wo te ni suru sono toki wo**_

_**Kagiri aru "sei" wo kono yo ni uke kare yuku dake wa oroka ni hitoshii**_

_**Hoka no dare mo ga mochienai mono "jibun jishin" to iu na no kesshou e**_

_**Kirei goto wo tsukitoosu koto itsu ka makoto e kawaru**_

_**Kataku ni shinji tsuzuketai It's just my faith. The absolute truth.**_

_**Nagareru toki no naka mabataku setsuna teki kirameki wo**_

_**Kono yo no kioku ni kizamu tame aruki tsuzukeru Believer**_

"Nice choice Tenten, but please tell me you have 'The World' on here. I _love _that song."

"Actually, I do. It's after this one. This CD is mixed so it has a lot of good songs on here. I take it you haven't heard this song before either ladies." Tenten looked at Hinata and I.

"I have. Twice." Hinata nodded her head.

"Nope."

"Okay. Here ya go then. I think you'll like it."

_**Hirogaru yami no naka kawashiatta kakumei no chigiri**_

_**Aishita yue ni mebaeta aku no hana**_

_**Kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete wo**_

_**Dare ni mo jama saseru wake ni wa ikanai kara**_

_**Kajitsu ga tsugeta mirai**_

_**Risei wo wasureta machi**_

_**Kuroku yuganda ima wo**_

_**Yume, risou ni kaeru**_

_**Doushite? Boku wa kowareta Messiah?**_

_**Dare mo ga nozonda "owaru" wo...**_

_**Hirogaru yami no naka kawashiatta kakumei no chigiri**_

_**Aishita yue ni mebaeta aku no hana**_

_**Kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete wo**_

_**Dare ni mo jama saseru wake ni wa ikanai**_

_**Itsuka boku ga misete ageru**_

_**Hikari kagayaku sora wo**_

"Wow. Do you hear that guitar?" I whispered. Ino nodded and laughed

"Look at Temari and her air guitar. I think she hears it."

_**Doushite? Boku wa kowareta Messiah?**_

_**Dare mo ga yume mita "rakuen" wo...**_

_**Hirogaru yami no naka kawashiatta kakumei no chigiri**_

_**Aishita yue ni mebaeta aku no hana**_

_**Kore kara saki otozureru de arou subete wo**_

_**Dare ni mo jama saseru wake ni wa ikanai**_

_**Itsuka boku ga misete ageru**_

_**Hikari kagayaku sekai wo**_

"Yeah!! Woo hoo!" Temari shouted.

"Okay, what's next?"

"Um… Haruka Kanata by Asian Kung-Fu Generation."

"I actually know that song." I smiled and nodded. They used to play this song a lot at the orphanage, and I learned to love it and every letter sung.

"_**Dakara motto motto motto Haruka Kanata." **_I sung the song to the ending.

"Any requests?" Tenten asked when the song was over. "I'm sure I have it."

"Do you have any Gorillaz?" Hinata asked. "I haven't heard them in ages.

"Yeah. El Manana is number 6."

"Aaw…that's a sad song. And the video is even worst. They killed Noodle." Hinata pouted.

"No, she's alive. She jumped off of the island before it crashed. She had a parachute."

"I thought that was a tree." Temari said.

"Nope. Parachute. She's alive. Murdoc said so." Ino said proudly.

"Play the song already." Ino pressed play and the song started.

_**Summer don't know me no more**_

_**eager man thats all**_

_**Summer don't know me**_

_**He just left me love in my sea**_

_**cuz I too know lord,**_

_**from you that**_

_**Just died yeah**_

_**I saw that day,**_

_**Lost my mind**_

_**Lord, I'm fine**_

_**maybe in time**_

_**You'll want to be mine**_

_**Don't stop the bud when it comes**_

_**It's the dawn, you'll see**_

_**Money won't get there**_

_**Ten years past and now**_

_**You'll flee**_

_**If you do that**_

_**I'll be so**_

_**To find you**_

_**I saw that day,**_

_**Lost my mind**_

_**Lord, I'm fine**_

_**maybe in time**_

_**You'll want to be mine**_

" Oh my gosh. That _is_ sad." I said. I wasn't going to cry, but my eyes were watery. The song reminded me of too much

_**I saw that day,**_

_**Lost my mind**_

_**Lord, I'm fine**_

_**maybe in time**_

_**You'll want to be mine**_

_**maybe in time**_

_**You'll want to be mine**_

_**maybe in time**_

_**You'll want to be mine**_

_**maybe in time**_

_**You'll want to be mine**_

_**maybe in time**_

_**You'll want to be mine**_

"Tenten. Can you please pick a song that wouldn't want to make us cry?"

"Okay, I warned you though. Skip to Number Eight."

_**Hahahahahahahahaha,**_

_**Sh-pah sh-pa, sh-pa, Feel good, x9**_

_**City's breaking down on a camel's back.**_

_**They just have to go 'cause they don't know wack**_

_**So all you fill the streets it's appealing to see**_

_**You wont get out the county, 'cos you're damn as free**_

_**You've got a new horizon It's ephemeral style.**_

_**A melancholy town where we never smile.**_

_**And all I wanna hear is the message beep.**_

_**My dreams, they've got to kiss, because I don't get sleep, no..**_

_**Windmill, Windmill for the land.**_

_**Turn forever hand in hand**_

_**Take it all in on your stride**_

_**It is sinking, falling down**_

_**Love forever love is free**_

_**Let's turn forever you and me**_

_**Windmill, windmill for the land**_

_**Is everybody in?**_

_**Laughing gas these hazmats, fast cats,**_

_**Lining them up-a like ass cracks,**_

_**Lay these ponies at the track**_

_**Its my chocolate attack.**_

_**Shit, I'm stepping in the heart of this here**_

_**Care bear bumping in the heart of this here**_

_**Watch me as I gravitate**_

_**Hahahahahahaa.**_

_**Yo, we gonna go ghost town,**_

_**This motown,**_

_**With yo sound**_

_**You're in the place**_

_**You gonna bite the dust**_

_**Can't fight with us**_

_**With yo sound**_

_**You kill the INC.**_

_**So don't stop, get it, get it**_

_**Until you're Jet Ahead.**_

_**Yo, watch the way I navigate**_

_**Hahahahahhaa**_

_**Feel good, AHHHHahahahah x4**_

_**Windmill, Windmill for the land.**_

_**Turn forever hand in hand**_

_**Take it all in on your stride**_

_**It is ticking, falling down**_

_**Love forever love is free**_

_**Let's turn forever you and me**_

_**Windmill, windmill for the land**_

_**Is everybody in?**_

_**Don't shout, get it, get it**_

_**We are your captains in it**_

_**Steady,**_

_**Watch me navigate,**_

_**Ahahahahahhaa.**_

_**Don't shout, get it, get it**_

_**We are your captains in it**_

_**Steady, watch me navigate**_

_**Ahahahahahhaa.**_

_**Feel good, AHHHHahahahaha**_

_**Feel good,**_

_**Feel good, AHHHHahahahaha**_

_**Feel good...**_

"Feel Good Inc. That's got to be the best Gorillaz song."

"No. I prefer Clint Eastwood." I said.

"Aa, Sakura knows what we're talking about."

"Yup. The used to always play this song where I was…from." I didn't want to tell them I was from an orphanage either. Anyways, I thought that was personal.

"Look guys. We're here." Ino announced. I looked over Hinata and out the mirror.

"Whoa Ino. Are you sure we won't get lost in here?" Ino parked the car a few feet away from the door.

"I'm not sure at all, but it should be fun. Come on slowpokes." Ino was already out the car by the time we were all out.

"This is going to be soo awesome."

"If only we can get you like this during school."

"Me? Excited about school? Only if it's canceled." Ino flipped her hair and we walked inside.

"So, what should we do first?" Temari asked sighing happily. There was a lot to choose from. The Food court was to our left, a small Sunglasses stand next to the Eye doctor, and a manga store. There was also a huge arcade to the right.

"How about we get some food. We can't shop on an empty stomach…or at least I can't. Come on." We started going towards the food court when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and found Hinata looking really nervous.

"What's up?"

"Uh, did you, um, invite your brothers today?" Hinata stammered.

"No. Why-" Hinata gestured to the arcade where they all stood. Naruto was trying his best to win at a Crazy Crane; Shikamaru was leaning on a counter next to it, tapping his fingers impatiently. Sai was laughing at Naruto and Neji was talking casually to Sasuke. What were they doing here?

'_**Showing off their hotness of course. I would too if I looked that good.' **_Inner laughed while shaking her head.

"I didn't know they were coming here, I swear." Hinata blushed and moaned in her hands.

"What if they come over here? Do I look okay?" she freaked out. I've never seen her like this.

"You look fine," I assured. "Do you want him to come over here? If he sees me, he'll come."

"No. No way." Hinata shook her head. "Just pretend we never saw them and walk away." Hinata turned away and closed her eyes. We started walking where Ino, Tenten and Temari now sat.

"What took ya'll so long?" Tenten asked, sipping on her beverage.

"Oh, um, Hinata just saw something she liked." Hinata blushed and exhaled her held breath.

"Oh. Are you guy's hungry or anything? The line is empty over there." Ino pointed to a McDonald's.

I nodded. I was thirsty. I went to the counter and ordered a Sprite. "Thank you." I said before grabbing my drink and leaving. When I turned around, I found Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Sai and Shikamaru at my friend's table.

"Sakura. You didn't tell us you invited your brothers." Ino looked at me with a what-were-you-thinking expression.

"I didn't." I placed my drink on the table and sat down. They pulled up some chairs and sat down at our table.

"I didn't know you guys were coming to the mall." Naruto said.

"Ditto. Kakashi-san was out today, but told me he didn't know where you all went." Naruto immediately understood what I meant when I said he was out.

"Well since we have nothing else time consuming to do, we can hang with you guys. Is that alright?"

The girls nodded. Like they could turn that offer down. "We're just going to be doing a lot of girl stuff." Temari pointed out truthfully.

"You'll get bored." Hinata added.

Shikamaru shrugged. "It's better than watching Naruto lose in that easy game over there."

"It wasn't easy." Naruto frowned. "Every time I picked that stupid thing up, it fell."

"What ever." I sipped my drink and smiled. This was going to be interesting. After eating our food and talking to the guys about nothing important, we stood and decided to go to Ino's boutique first.

Once we got there, we immediately fell in love with it. It had the cutest stuff in it, like little plush dolls and bags. In the back, they had clothes, and that's where we went first. The boys didn't seem too keen on going in here, but we warned them so it was their own fault.

"Look at this bathing suit." Tenten held up a Green Dot Print Two-Piece bathing suit.

"Wow. How much is it?" I asked. Tenten looked at the price and smiled.

"59.90. That's perfect!"

"Seriously?"

"I brought 500.00 today. I'm going to by the whole store!" Tenten laughed and walked to where Ino stood bent over a pile of clothes. I looked at the bathing suits and found one I liked. It was a hot pink key-ring one piece. It wasn't to revealing and it was cute. Ino, Temari and Hinata appeared by my side and looked the bathing suits.

"That's a really cute one Sakura." Ino browsed through the bathing suits and pulled out a purple bikini. The top tied around her neck and the bottoms tied on the side.

"This is just the thing I was looking for. Cute and Sexy." Hinata found one too. It was a black, red and white printed tankini. She held it up to her body and shrugged.

"What do you think?" I nodded and smiled.

"Awesome." Temari was eyeing a teal bikini. She pulled it off the rack.

"I don't know. Do you think this is too small?"

"Not to me." Ino shook her head.

"Me either." Hinata agreed.

"Same here."

"Then it's settled."

"Hey Sakura." Naruto walked up to me and sighed. "Can we leave soon? That lady over there is giving me funny looks." I started to look but Naruto stopped me. "No no don't look."

I took a quick glance and saw the woman giving Naruto googly eyes indeed. "She likes you."

"Huh?"

"You're cute. Why else would she be blushing?"

"I dunno." Naruto shrugged. "Anyways, there's a whole mall left to see…"

"Okay okay just a sec." I went and told Tenten we were leaving. We all paid for the stuff we wanted and left. I was the last one out of the store, so I was already falling behind. On my way out, I felt a hand grasp mine. I quickly turned and found Sasuke. He'd been somewhat quiet the whole day so far. He only occasionally nodded his head or agreed with something.

"Hold on." He said. He led me to an empty store and finally let go of my hand.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I'm sorry." He said ingenuously.

"For?" I asked, not knowing what he was talking about,

'_**You really are oblivious huh?'**_

Sasuke sighed and looked at me with a displeased expression. I looked at him the same way. And we just stared at each other for what seemed to be forever.

"You're so stupid." Sasuke told me.

"_I'm_ stupid?" I repeated dumfounded.

'_**Tch. The nerve.'**_

"I'm trying to tell you something and you don't even know what I'm talking about."

"Well maybe if you say more than two words, I'll understand you. You aren't making any sense. And besides, why are you even talking to me? Last I checked you could careless about me or my-" That was when he did it.

Sasuke bent down and kissed me.

**And there you have it; Your first peek of SasukeXSakura action. I'll get back to you with the next chapter in a week.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Dedicated: to all my Special Reviewers. Enjoy!!**

**WARNING: ****There is not a cliffhanger. Read if you must.**

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 3**

"I'm trying to tell you something and you don't even know what I'm talking about."

"Well maybe if you say more than two words, I'll understand you. You aren't making any sense. And besides, why are you even talking to me? Last I checked you could careless about me or my-" That was when he did it.

Sasuke bent down and kissed me.

I quickly pulled away and gasped.

"Excuse me you two. Can you please take this elsewhere?" The clerk said. There were a few bystanders outside the store interested in what was going on. Among those people were my friends and my other brothers.

'_**Whoa. Didn't see that coming.'**_

"Why did you do that?!"

"Because you wouldn't stop talking." Sasuke shrugged.

"You…god!" I turned and walked out the store.

"Sakura! Wait up!" Temari and Ino called after me. They caught up with me and stopped my fast walk.

"Why did he do that?" Hinata asked me.

"You tell me. He pulled me aside and says he's sorry. I didn't even know what the hell he was talking about, and when I asked him, he kisses me! I swear, some times I just want to…ugh!"

"Alright just take a deep breath," Tenten tried to calm me down.

'_**I have nothing to say.' **_Inner shook her head.

I closed my eyes and leaned on the wall. "That was my first one…" I whispered quietly. I didn't mean for the others to hear me, but they did.

"What did you say?"

"That was my first kiss." I repeated.

"It was?!" Ino exclaimed. I nodded. "I'm so sorry Sakura."

"I just wish it was with someone I liked. Not someone like him." I bit my lip .

" You were right when you said he was a bad person." Hinata said thoughtfully. I looked up at Ino and forced a smile.

"We aren't going to let this affect our shopping spree. Come on you guys." We started walking when I heard my name. I was really starting to hate my name.

"Sakura."I turned around and saw Naruto running up to me.

"Hey. What happened back there?" his voice was filled with worry and confusion.

"Nothing happened okay?" I turned back around, but Naruto caught me by my wrist.

"Sakura." Naruto's expression softened.

"Everything's okay Naruto-kun. I promise." He nodded and let me go.

' _**I think he's falling for you.'**_

'_Who?'_

'_**Naruto.'**_

'_No way Inner. That's crazy-'_

'_**His face Sakura. Didn't you see that?'**_

'…'

'_**He is. Face it.'**_

'_B-But it's Naruto. He's the one who told me not to get involved with any of them, why would he fall in love me?'_

'_**You're the kind of girl every guy wants. It's only natural he would.'**_

'_What should I do? There's no one I can talk to about this. And I can't mention it to Naruto or Hinata.' _I glanced at Hinata. She really loved Naruto, but Naruto loved me.

'_**Just…I don't know, but you can't mention it to anyone.'**_

'_Okay.'_

This was turning out to be a horrible day. My enemy kissed me, and I find out one of my friends/ brothers is in love with me.

"Sakura?"

"Hm?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm…okay." I responded, still in thought.

"Hey Ino? Is that you?" We turned around and found a girl running up to us. She had orange-red hair and green eyes.

"Yuki. What's up?"

"Nothing much. There's this major party tonight at my house so I was getting a new outfit. Do you guys want to come?"

"I'm in." Ino responded quickly.

"Same here." The other girls agreed too.

"Sakura?"

"Uh, sure."

"Cool. By the way Sakura, my name is Yuki. It's nice to meet you."

"You too Yuki-san."

"Alright guys. See you later." Yuki ran off in the opposite direction.

"Cool. That only means our looks have to be extra cute. Come on, come on!" Ino dragged us off to another store. After another two hours at the all, we finally left the mall. After everything that happened, my enthusiasm for shopping disappeared; believe it or not.

Ino dropped me off at the mansion around 5:00. I didn't feel like talking to anybody when I entered the mansion.

"Sakura Are you okay?" Kakashi asked me when I walked in.

"No. Please don't read my mind." I said. "There is a party tonight. May I go?"

"Be back by one."

"Okay. Thank you Kakashi-san." I dragged myself up the stairs. I didn't really feel like going to the party tonight, I just had nothing else to do.

'_**Wow. You're out of it.'**_

'_Hn.' _

'_**Sakura. Don't be sad, be-'**_

My door to my room opened and closed. When I turned around, Sasuke was there in all his glory.

"Get out Sasuke."

"Listen to me or I'll shut you up again." I growled under my breath and blushed from embarrassment. I didn't want him kissing me.

"Fine." I muttered.

Sasuke walked up to me and put his hands on my shoulders, pushing me on my bed. He climbed on top of me and looked me in the eye.

"Sasuke?"

"Shh. Listen to me." Sasuke moved his eyes to my neck and traced over the two, almost completely unnoticeable marks. His fingers were cold against my skin. I shivered.

"Does it hurt?"

"H-huh?"

"Does it hurt where I bit you?" Sasuke said.

"No. Not anymore." Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed.

"I won't do it again."

"Okay." I whispered. Sasuke looked at me again.

"And I won't kiss you either."

"Thank-you. But if this is your way of apologizing, it's going to take way more that that."

"Whatever." Sasuke touched my neck again, sending more shivers down my spine.

"Stop doing that." Sasuke touched my neck with two of his long fingers and brought the same green aura to me just as Kakashi did. I think he told me it was called chakra.

"Y-You…" Sasuke stopped a moment later and got off of me.

"You are going to that party, right?" I nodded.

"Then I'll leave." Sasuke took one last look at me before he turned and walked out the door. Just as the door closed, I ran into the bathroom. When I looked at my neck, the two marks were gone.

' _He healed me.'_

' _**That had to be the most awkward moment ever… Even I felt uneasy.' **_Inner said. I agreed with her.

I stripped myself of all my clothing and took a shower. Once I got out, I brushed my hair down and got dressed. I wore a red wood halter. The wood chain wrapped my neck and the loose, white skirt I wore stopped three inches above my knees. I slipped on my two inch heels and looked at myself in the mirror. When I tried the outfit on at the mall, they all said I looked _'hot and ready to party'_. But when I looked at myself, I felt… different. I didn't feel confident in what I was wearing, but altogether the outfit cost 250.80. It wasn't cheap so I was going to wear it and like it. I sighed and walked out my room.

Just as I did Naruto was walking out of his. His had on basketball shorts and his blonde hair was damp and messier than usual. Naruto was shirtless-I was used to it by now- but he had a towel around his shoulders. He had a tired expression on his face, which made him look vulnerable and cute.

"Going out tonight?" he asked. I nodded.

"I'm going to Yuki's party. They're keeping me busy." I smiled back at Naruto, but a yawn slipped out. "I'm really tired though."

"Oh. Yuki…oh yeah, I got that invitation." Naruto said thoughtfully.

"Why aren't you going?"

"You'd be amazed at how many invitations we get a week. They get pretty annoying after a while."

"I guess. What are you going to do for the rest of the night?"

"Uh…Probably…watch TV and go to sleep." Naruto shrugged and yawned himself. "I'll probably go to sleep first."

I smiled. "I was wondering when you would get tired. You're always so high on energy."

"Yeah. Well not tonight," Naruto smiled and patted my shoulder. "Have fun, okay?"

"I will." I smiled at Naruto and gave him a hug before I went down the stairs.

"Oh Sakura?" Naruto called after me. I turned around and looked at him. Just as I did, he tossed something in my hands. When I looked at it, I saw a cell phone. I looked at Naruto in disbelief. Not only was it a cell phone, it was a Helio Ocean™. I remember watching a commercial on this thing. It was a dual slider with _a lot_ of memory, GPS, media player, Internet, a camera and a keyboard with a separate numeric keypad.

"Wow. Naruto-kun." I walked up to him. "Who…" Naruto smiled at me. "You?"

"It wasn't a big deal. It's dangerous without a cell phone so I thought I would get you one when I was at the mall. The whole Sasuke thing happened and you left with your friends so we couldn't pick one out. Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding me? This is amazing!" I hugged Naruto tightly and looked at the phone.

"All of our numbers are in there so if you need us, give us a call. We'll be there in a second."

"Thank you so much Naruto-kun. What can I do to repay you?"

"Nothing. Your expression was enough for me."

I gave him another hug. "Thank you." I heard the car honking outside.

"Alright Sakura. Your friends are waiting.'' I sighed.

"Kay. Bye!" I smiled and left the house. He sure did know to lighten the mood. I felt way better now. I hopped in Ino's car and smiled.

"Why are you so giddy Sakura?" I reached in my purse and showed them my new phone. "Naruto-kun."

"Oh my gosh. That's awesome. When we stop, I'll program my number in." Ino told me. I nodded and gave my phone to the girls. They took pictures of themselves and programmed their numbers. Then, of course, I had to program my number in their phones. It was a somewhat long process, and by the time we were finished, we were at the party scene. I wasn't surprised to see that Yuki was a popular girl. Their had to be at least two hundred kids here.

'_**Try picturing a party at our house. Scary thought huh?'**_

'_Very.' _Just thinking of every room filled at the mansion. We could probably fit two Sarutobi Academies in there. When Ino rang the doorbell, Yuki opened almost immediately.

"Hey guys! Come on in." I was surprised Yuki answered the door so quickly. The music was so thunderous, I was sure her parents were going to hear complaints from the neighbors afterwards.

"Wow Yuki. You sure now how to throw one." Temari commented.

"Thank my dad. Of course, I kicked both of my parents out, but it was really him who arranged everything." Yuki shrugged. Ino disappeared to the buffet table first.

"God Yuki!" Ino picked up a mini sandwich and bit into one. I giggled at Ino. She was so funny sometimes.

After about thirty minutes here, we all went our separate ways. Ino was flirting with a group of guys, Tenten was tossing a football around with some jock, Hinata was watching TV with other girls on the couch, and Temari was chatting it up with Yuki. I was just standing next to a counter near the buffet, sipping on water. Alcohol was offered at the buffet, but I was against it. A boy slid next to me and grabbed a cup of punch.

"So…" he started. I looked at him. I knew I recognized him from somewhere. He was the fellow who tapped my butt.

"I remember you." I said.

"I remember you too." He smiled. "My name is Tylar."

I hesitated, but answered him. "Sakura."

"Nice to meet you." There was an awkward silence but he spoke at last.

"You know anybody here?"

"My friends were invited." I kept it short and simple with him because I had nothing to say. I didn't really feel comfortable around him either.

"Aa."

**Another awkward silence.**

"Is there anything you need from me?"

"I just thought I would be friendly since I thought you were alone. You look pretty lost to me." He was right. I didn't really know what I was doing here. I wasn't exactly a party person, and the music was giving me a headache. But I didn't want to leave either. It would make me look like a wimp or something. The last thing I needed was to be labeled as weird.

"I don't really…like parties."

"Me either. Too loud." He didn't look like the type of person who didn't like a loud, crazy party, but I didn't question him on it.

"Follow me Sakura. I wanna show you something." I reluctantly followed Tylar up the stairs.

There was a few people wandering around the upstairs hallways, talking and sipping on alcohol.

"Where are we going?" I asked him. Tylar and I turned the corner and found another staircase. Instead of going to the top, he opened a latch on the top of the ceiling.

"I don't think we're supposed to go up here…" I warned.

"Relax. We won't get in trouble." Tylar assured. I sighed when he climbed in the hole above the ceiling, then he grabbed my hand and pulled me up.

"This better be worth it."

"It will be." We were in an attic and surprisingly; it wasn't as dirty as I thought most attics would be. Tylar ducked his head and walked over to the window that was there. I didn't have to duck my head, but I walked over to the window and looked out of it. Tylar opened it so we could get a better look.

"Wow."

It was a great view of the city. Since it was dark outside, the colorful lights shone brighter than ever. There was even a lone star out. Usually you couldn't see the stars, but this one sat right in the middle of he sky, twinkling and twinkling. Tylar sat down and sighed.

"This is amazing." I sat down as well. The music was muffled through the walls, but we couldn't hear much. I could only make out that they were playing some kind of rap song.

"How'd you find this place?" I asked.

"Yuki is my sister. When she's bugging the hell out of me, I come up here. It's the only place I can go to get away from everything, you know?"

"Yeah. A getaway…" I said thoughtfully. I just realized I didn't have a get away place. At this point, I really liked Tylar. We had a lot in common and I totally forgot the '_encounter' _we had on the steps the day we met. He had messy, long red hair that was pulled in a ponytail at the back. His eyes were green and impish. He looked like the type of person who got in a lot of trouble, but I knew better than to judge someone by his or her looks.

We talked for a while before we exchanged phone numbers. "So I'll call you tonight?" Tylar asked me.

"That's okay," I smiled at him. "So you think we should head back down stairs? It's getting pretty late."

"No we're fine. It's only eleven."

"Okay. So…tell me about yourself." I told Tylar.

"Well…I'm an Aquarius. My birthday is on February 14th."

"Valentine's Day? That's cool. Aries. My birthdays on March 28th."

"Ooh, a natural born leader."

"I don't think so. Are you really rebellious?"

"When I feel I have to be. You have time for a story?"

"Plenty."

"Okay. So when I was in middle school, we had this sucky bus drive who used to always piss us kids off. So one day we had a sub, which gave us the chance to finally act a fool. My bus driver put me in the front seat, so when I saw that he dropped his nametag; I picked it up and hid it. When I showed it to my friends, they pulled out Sharpie's and started drawing on his picture and writing all this shit on it like, '_You asshole' _and '_Go fuck yourself'_; you know, stuff like that." I nodded. " Okay so, one girl thought it would be funny if she mentioned a little something to the driver. We were so scared; we almost pissed our pants. Some kids tried to stop her, but she said she wasn't gonna tell."

So when the guy dropped this kid off, she went up to him and said,_' Excuse me sir, aren't you supposed to have a nametag? Our other bus driver does.'_

"Oh no…" I giggled.

"Yes. So the guy stops the bus and looked for his nametag. Then he stands up and glares at us. Then he's like, _'Alright, which one of you brats took it.'_ I was brave enough to ask him what he was talking about. He said he was missing his nametag. I told him he should get one before he gets in trouble."

"God, you're crazy!"

"Yeah, but he was so mad, we all started laughing. You know, when your parents yell at you and they get so mad you can't help but laugh?"

I paused and thought. Back then, I used to always get in trouble, so I knew what he was talking about.

"Yes." I responded.

"So he starts getting all worked up, and it was kinda funny. He was spitting and yelling and sweating. It was hilarious. Until he told everyone to get up that is. He started searching everybody's seat and shit."

"Did you get caught?"

"Nope. When he came my way, I through his thing out the window when he wasn't looking."

"Tylar!" I gasped and giggled again.

"Yep. Now it's somewhere at the bottom of a lake." Tylar shrugged like it was nothing. Although it was bad, it was hilarious.

"That was funny. I can't believe you did that! Did he ever figure it out?"

"Naw, but when we had him again, and I asked him if he found it, he said he got a new one, but he still knew we took it."

"Wow. That's amazingly funny."

"I know. It's the story of my life."

"Sorry. I don't really have a story."

"Then you can just tell me about yourself. What are your parents like?"

I hesitated then told him the truth. "They're…they're dead. They were killed by someone who got in our house." I whispered.

Tylar tensed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't…"

"It's okay. You didn't know. Hey, I think I have a story for you."

"Okay. What is it?"

"The last time I saw my parents alive, we were in a fight."

"Aw man. What about?" Tylar looked at me.

"Something stupid. It was three years ago; I wanted to go to this huge trip with a group of girls whom I thought were my friends. It was a weekend trip to Tokyo and I really wanted to go, mainly because of the shopping. It was so…stupid. Back then, I was just a kid who whined and complained when something didn't go as planned. I talked back, did badly in school… I was horrible. And I didn't even have the chance to apologize."

"I'm really sorry Sakura. But it's not your fault they died."

"But…maybe if I never went off on them like that, and just excepted the fact that I couldn't go on that stupid trip, I…" I paused. "The day they died, I was in the backyard next to a pool. I knew I heard noises coming from the house, but I ignored it. And when…I finally went inside the house, it was too late. They were already dead." I wiped my eyes.

"I could've helped them fended those guys off or something. I could've-"

"Sakura. There's nothing you could have done. It's not your fault either. Yeah, you had a fight with your parents before they died, but think if you were there when those guys came. You would've been dead too." I nodded. "All these people who care about you now. If you were to leave now, nobody would be the same." I looked at Tylar.

' _**Smooth talker…'**_

"You've only been here a week almost, and you've already made a huge impact on everybody. Your friends, family…me."

"Tylar…"

"It feels like I've known you forever, seriously." Tylar smiled. I smiled back.

'_**He's flirting.'**_

'_Shush.'_

"We _do_ have a lot in common. But what happened to opposites attract?"

"Who cares about that?" Tylar moved closer to me and I blushed. "We're attracting right?"

'_**Tch.'**_

"I-I think so." Tylar moved again so our faces were inches apart.

'_He's going to kiss me.'_

'_**Don't you like him?'**_

'_Yes, but I don't know if I'm ready. Do you like him Inner? If you like him, I will.'_

'_**Meh. He's all right. I just think he's a little fake that's all. Go ahead and kiss him.'**_

'_O-Okay.'_

When Tylar leaned in, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to kiss him or not. But luckily, my phone screamed it's loud, bothersome timbre. Tylar sighed in disappointment.

"I'm sorry." I reached in my purse and pulled out my phone. There was a new message from Hinata. It read:

_**I dont kno where u r right now, but u better come 2 da front. ASAP.**_

I turned to Tylar and frowned. "There is something going on downstairs."

"Alright." I could sense an insignificant tinge of disappointment and anger in Tylar's voice. He stood and ducked his head. I sighed, grabbed my stuff and stood as well.

"Tylar?" I asked walking up to him.

"Wha-" he turned around, and just as I did I planted a small kiss on his lips. He smiled.

"Now come on." I grabbed his hand and we left.

**:**

When we made it to the bottom of the stairs and into the living room, there was squealing and giggling. I found Hinata and my other friends amongst the crowd and went up to her.

"Hey Hinata! What's going on?" I asked her. She turned to me and narrowed her eyes.

"And where have you been?" I blushed and shook my head.

"I asked you first."

"You win, but it isn't over. Look over there." Hinata pointed to the middle of the commotion and sighed. I shook my head. Sasuke was right in the middle of those girls.

"Does he have to ruin everything?" I muttered.

"What happened?" Tylar appeared next to me.

"Sasuke. I think he wants me to come home."

"But it's only twelve thirty." Tylar glared at Sasuke.

"I know. Let me just see what he wants." I pushed through the crowd of girls and finally made my way to Sasuke.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" I asked him. Sasuke looked my way and nodded.

"We're leaving."

"What?"

"It's time to go. Tell your friends you'll see them tomorrow and let's go."

"Why? What's going on?" Sasuke grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the front door.

"Come _on _Sasuke! I don't want to leave!" Sasuke ignored me.

"Hey Uchiha. She said she didn't want to leave." Sasuke glanced behind us, glaring at Tylar.

"Excuse me?" Sasuke turned completely around. I could feel the tension in the room build.

"T-Tylar, it's no big deal. S-Sasuke, stop."

"You heard me. I don't think it's very nice of you to come to a party uninvited and take our guest when it's clear she doesn't want to leave." Tylar stepped forward, as did Sasuke.

"I'm not one to start a fight when humans are around, but if I must, I will." Sasuke's voice was low and I was sure I was the only one who heard what he said, when Yuki stepped forward.

"Tylar. No fighting here. Take this somewhere else if you have to. Sasuke, even though I'm graced by your presence, you must leave." I heard moans rupture through the crowd. The girls were depressed that Sasuke was leaving, and the guys were really feeling a fight. Sasuke took one last look at Tylar before leaving with me in his grasp. He led me to his all black Maserati GranTurismo. He finally let go of my hand and got in the car.

The drive home was a quiet one, until Sasuke spoke.

"Stay away from him." He ordered.

"Why should I?"

"Because he's a vampire."

"What? Is Yuki?"

"Yes. Stay away from both of them."

"But he wasn't doing anything bad. We were just talking and…"

"And what?"

"Nothing. But he didn't try and bite me like _you _did. Why should I listen to you anyways? I don't even trust you."

"Well if you plan to live before the school year is over, you better make me your best friend."

"Tch. Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"No. It's supposed to keep you alive. You're in a world of vampires now, and the only ones you can trust are the ones you are living with."

"Tylar is fine. He won't do anything to me."

Sasuke stopped the car and turned to me. "Get it through your head Sakura. If you put too much trust in Tylar, he'll turn on you, bite you, and kill you. Got it?"

"Like you did?"

Sasuke flinched at my comment. "Yeah…like I did." He started driving again. Sasuke's face was filled with mixed emotions. I could make out anger, confusion, and maybe even sadness.

'_Inner. I don't think I should've said that.'_

'_**He seems messed up right now. But remember everything he's done to you…'**_

' _I know, and he apologized. I don't completely forgive him…and now he's just trying to help.'_

'_**Yeah. I guess.'**_

'_Should I apologize?'_

'… _**Hn.' **_Inner responded. I didn't know either, but I did anyway.

"Sasuke. I'm sorry. As much as I don't want to, I'll stay away from…Tylar."

Sasuke glanced at me and didn't respond. After that, the rest of the ride home was silent.

**:**

Once we arrived at the mansion, I was officially tired. I could barely get out of the car without falling over. Once again, the too-energetic Kakashi greeted me.

"Good morning Sakura. Have fun?" It was one thirty in the morning, and I was just about ready to pass out.

"Mm-hm. Sure." I mumbled. I forced myself up the long, laborious stairs and immediately collapsed on my bed. I didn't even bother changing my clothes or getting under the covers. Somewhere in between, someone came in my room and put the covers over my shoulders. I opened my heavy eyelids halfway and met Sasuke's. I mumbled something, but I wasn't sure what I said. Before I could think anything else, the door closed behind Sasuke, and I was asleep.

**:**

"Sakura!" shouted a voice. I heard the curtains in my room open, and the felt the sun hit my face. My eyes fluttered open, and squinted at the impact. I could barely make out Neji and Naruto's face.

"No…" I moaned. "Go away." I pulled the covers over my head.

"Time to wake up…" That was Neji's voice. He swiped the warm covers off of me and sighed. "You can't sleep all day Sakura." Neji laughed at me.

"It's already 1:00 Sakura."

"I don't care…" I moaned again.

"Fine, you'll just miss out on our '_little trip' _today." Naruto said mockingly.

"What?" I sat up in the bed.

"Kakashi planned a trip today. We're going hiking."

That intrigued me instantly. Hiking with the best looking people alive? This was going to be fun.

"Really?' I asked.

"Yup. And you can bring your friends if you want." Naruto stretched. I got out of the bed and looked out the window. It was a perfect day to go hiking; the sun was out, birds flapping around, singing happily, not a cloud in the sky…

"Yo. Are you up for it?" Shikamaru poked his head in my room and smiled. I grinned at him. He was shirtless with a toothbrush in his mouth. His hair was wet and down for once. I was somewhat surprised to see that his hair was longer than mine.

'_**Whoa. **__**Hello**__** Shikamaru.' **_Inner whispered. He did look good right now.

"Uh-huh. It's going to be fun." Shikamaru nodded and disappeared. "Alright get out so I can get dressed." I pushed Naruto and Neji out of my room. "Thank you!" I smiled before I closed the door.

I went to my phone first and sent the others a text message. I told them about the hiking trip and they immediately agreed. They didn't have any special plans today. I got a shower and dressed in a dark green baggy shorts and a dark-blue T-shirt that said_, 'Paramore.' _Then I slipped on my most comfortable pair of tennis shoes.

I went down the stairs and saw everybody looking awake and ready to hike. Including Sasuke. I walked in the kitchen and saw Kakashi struggling behind a stove.

"Yo Sakura. You'd better go help him before he burns his eyebrows off." Sai told me. I nodded and went up to Kakashi.

"I have it from here." I told him, and he gladly accepted. He had out 8 eggs, toast, bacon (a lot), and a red drink; the bottle didn't have a label though. I decided to serve that first and when I got the glasses set up, I asked.

"It's a protein drink for _'young vampires'_. It's supposed to control your need for human blood." Neji told me. "It's disgusting, but Kakashi makes us drink it regardless."

Kakashi shrugged. "Oh well." He said. I brought soda and sat it on the table for Kakashi, and I poured myself some water. After that, I made the rest of the food.

"Whoa, Sakura." Naruto said, biting into the toast and eggs. "This is good."

"Thank you. But it isn't a big deal."

"It's better than Kakashi's food." Sai muttered.

"Well excuse me for not being a woman."

"Why don't you have a girlfriend anyway?" Naruto asked. Kakashi rolled his eye.

"Haven't we been through this already?"

"…I forgot." Naruto grinned.

Kakashi sighed. "I had a fiancé a long time ago. After the war, we were separated and I haven't seen her since." I looked at Kakashi's finger and saw the plain gold ring. Then at him, he seemed kind of sad.

'_**He loved her.'**_

'_Yeah, I know.' _But Naruto, being as oblivious as ever, kept the conversation going. So the next time Kakashi answered another one, I stepped in.

"So Kakashi-san, where are we hiking?"

"Hmm…I don't know." He smiled.

"B-But-"

"He has these things once every two months. It's supposed to build character, but I don't thing so." Sasuke spoke.

"Every time it's someplace different, but he doesn't know where to go." Neji added.

"It would've been smart to plan ahead." Naruto yawned and took his plate to the sink.

"Okay, okay! I got the place." Kakashi defended himself. We looked at him. "It's about twenty miles from here."

"Okay. So what's the terrain like?"

"Uh…mountains; lots and lots of mountains. At the top, ii think it's a river. I don't know." Kakashi shrugged.

"Okay. Well when your friends get here, we can head out."

**HONK!**

"That's our cue." I said. Then I turned to Kakashi. "Oh, do you thin I will need my phone?"

"Hmm…No we'll be together the entire time so you should be fine."

"Okay." I reached in my pocket and pulled out my phone, placing it on the counter.

**:**

"Whoa Kakashi-san. You sure do have a good taste in mountains." I said, staring at the mountains. They were huge.

"Are these even climbable?" Ino asked.

"…I think."

"Kakashi." We all groaned.

"I'm playing. There's a trail over here."

Then we started. The view was amazing. You could see passed the city and actually get a good view of some other smaller mountains and trees. Even though it was a little hot outside, there was a small, but helpful breeze.

About an hour into the hike, we girls were just about ready to pass out.

"K-Kakashi-san can we, uh, take a break." I asked, leaning on an over-sized rock.

"You're tired?" Kakashi turned to me. He hadn't even worked up a sweat. They were lucky they were vampires.

"We aren't all like you guys." I told him. Ino sighed and sat on the ground.

"God. I should've eaten a bigger breakfast." She said.

"It's not our fault you eat like a bird." Tenten replied.

"Hey Kakashi-san?" I started, sitting next to the tired Ino.

"Huh?"

"  
How much longer?"

"Ah…fifteen miles."

"Plus walking down." Neji added.

I groaned. "Is there any way possible-"

Before I could finish my sentence, three people jumped from the top of a rock.

"Girls, get over here!" Kakashi's voice suddenly turned serious.

"Well if it isn't Kakashi Hatake?" one of them said. She smiled, and that's when I saw it, she was a vampire. And so were the others.

"You guys," I whispered, and ran to Kakashi's side. Despite their exhausted bodies, they followed me.

"Thanks for setting up this picnic for us. "One of the male vampires turned to me. "I want that one." I flinched. Why did all the vampires want me?

The other male looked at Hinata. "What's up cutie. He approached her but Naruto stepped up before he was within two feet.

"I'm afraid you aren't getting any of these girls. Sasuke and Naruto, take them somewhere safe." Kakashi ordered. Sasuke and Naruto quickly sprang into action by escorting us to a disserted part of the woods. Hinata was shaking and almost near tears. Those guys got to her, but she wasn't the only one. I placed a hand on her back and tried to soothe her.

"What's going on?" Temari whispered.

"I don't know," Tenten hugged her knees. She looked up at Naruto. "I-Is Kakashi going to be okay? Those people didn't seem too friendly."

"They aren't, but he's going to be fine." We heard cracking noises from above us. "Get down." His voice was as low as you could possibly go. We all shrunk deeper in the shrub that was under the base of the mountain. The cracking stopped and we sighed a sigh of relief. Just as we did, I felt a strong jerk on my hair, pulling me from under the shrub. I struggled, but stopped when I met the gaze of the female vampire.

"Let go of me!" I struggled against her grip, but even female vampires were strong.

"Sakura!" Ino screamed. Sasuke and Naruto stood, approaching the one who was holding me.

"Let her go." Naruto ordered. The female walked over to the edge of the cliff and dangled me over it. It was a long, never ending way down.

"You sure you want that?"

"N-Naruto-kun. Sasuke. Do something." I whispered, knowing at this point, there was nothing they could do.

"We want Sakura. Her blood smells good and we're willing to keep her. If we have to kill her before we get the blood so be it, but it is up to you." I closed my eyes.

Sasuke took a step forward, but he didn't say anything.

"Your Sharingan isn't threatening me kid. Who cares about how much of a legend you are, if we don't get this girl alive, we get her dead."

No one spoke. "No answer? Well then."

**Then, she just dropped me.**

I screamed after someone, but there was no one coming. I heard screaming coming from the top, but it wasn't from my friends…it was the girl. Then, I could make out the smallest hint of blood.

**They killed her.**

I closed my eyes and prayed, but when I opened, Sasuke was above me, falling at a faster speed than I was.

"Give me your hand!" he screamed. The air whipped passed my face, forcing tears out of my eyes. I reached for his hand. Our middle fingers brushed against each other, but with one last attempt, I grabbed his hand. Sasuke pulled me in his arms as we both braced ourselves for the impact. Was it going to be water or land? Were we going to live or die?

'_**DIE!'**_

' _I know.' _

"Sakura! It's going to be water. So hold on to me once we get in, okay?" Sasuke shouted. I tried my best to nod, but by the time I was finished, we already made impact with the water. I gripped Sasuke's hand as tight as I could. We were under the water deep, and the force of falling in, sent a lot of pressure in my body. My mouth opened involuntarily, and I swallowed water. Sasuke and I didn't make it to the surface before I fell unconscious. The rest was happening through my Inner's eyes.

**:**

_**Sasuke pulled Sakura to the edge of the river and looked at her.**_

"_**Shit." He muttered under his breath. I could see him thinking about something. That dumbass. He should've been focusing on saving Sakura's fucking life. First he placed his ear to Sakura's chest. Yes she's breathing! But she won't if you don't hurry the hell up!**_

_**Obviously, he noticed that and compressed fifteen times. Then he tilt Sakura's chin up, parted her lips, and gave two slow breaths in her mouth. He continued to do that four times until Sakura coughed and doubled over. He was a lucky son of a bitch. The only reason I didn't take over Sakura's body when he **__**'kissed'**__** her was because he was giving CPR. But one day, I'll get him. I'll get him so good-**_

'_Shush.'_

'_**Are you okay now?'**_

'_Yes. Thank you.'_

**:**

I thanked Inner for taking care of my body while I was unconscious.

'_**Thank Sasuke. He's the one who gave you CPR.'**_

'_He did?'_

'_**Yep. Mouth and all.'**_

'_Oh.' _I was surprised to hear Sasuke saved my life after he put it at risk a week earlier.

"S-Sasuke. Thank you."

"Yeah. Now come on." Sasuke grabbed my hand and led me to a cave like thing. It was really cold, so Sasuke got some twigs and started a fire. I guess it was his special ability, because the fire came out of his mouth, but I was too tired and dazed to care or make a big deal out of it.

"Sakura, you have to take your clothes off. It's going to be cold tonight and you can't wear wet clothes." Sasuke told me with a straight.

I nodded. "Okay. But can you, um, turn around?" Sasuke turned around without any other question or demand.

'_**It doesn't make sense to ask him to turn around. Both of you are going to end up with practically no clothes on.'**_

'_I-I know that.' _I thought desperately.__At least I still had my bra and panties on.

I put my clothes next me and closed my eyes. Sasuke turned back around took his shirt off.

"I thought vampires couldn't get sick."

"They can't but I don't wanna be in a wet, cold shirt all night." Sasuke went up to me and…hugged me?

"What?"

"Exchanging body heat."

I nodded and tried to look on the bright side of things. On the hiking trip that was supposed to be fun, we end up being attacked by three crazy vampires, I get thrown off of a cliff, almost drowned, had to strip my clothes in front of a bipolar hottie, and possibly spend the rest of the night with him in the middle of nowhere.

Yeah. The Brightside.

**Well Everybody. I hope you enjoyed this Action-Pactified chapter. It was a lot of work, but I finally got it going. Oh, and that little story Tylar told was based on a true story, except I was Tylar and my FF friend ThisIsMyTypeOfCrack was my friend. That guy never did find his nametag… Sorry Mrs. Dawn (not)! That's what you get for putting ThisIsMyTypeOfCrack and I in the front seat! Check out her story ****Double Lovers ****by the way.**

**See you all next week!**

**-Jazz Out **


	4. Chapter 4

**Dedicated to: All my reviewers, and K and ThisIsMyTypeOfCrack who said this story was famous!**

_**WARNING: **__**This chapter is in Sasuke's point of view until the very end. Enjoy Chapter 4!**_

_**Chocolate Roses**_

_**Chapter 4**_

Sakura hugged her knees and closed her eyes. Kakashi still hadn't arrived or even opened his mind so I can message him

"Hey Sasuke?" Sakura said after a while. She sighed.

"What?"

"I'm cold. This _'exchanging body heat' _thing isn't working. You're a vampire, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry." I backed away from her and scooted closer to the fire.

"Is Kakashi-san going to come soon?"

"I don't know. His mind isn't open so I can't reach out to him. We just have to wait and see when he's going to come." Sakura sighed again.

"Well I'm going to sleep. Wake me up when he comes."

"Fine."

It was a long wait for Kakashi to get to us. Sakura went to sleep, but woke up almost an hour later. She looked around us and sat back.

"He still isn't here?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I'm not going to bite or anything," I told her. It was obvious she was uncomfortable around me, but I tried to convince her that that incident was a one-time thing; and that it wouldn't happen again.

"I know that."

"Not really. You're still scared of me." Sakura looked away, knowing I was right.

"What do you expect me to do? I'm not going to welcome you with open arms and get… betrayed again. It's happened before, and I'm not doing it again."

"Does it help that I saved your life at all?"

Sakura didn't answer. "I thanked you for that."

"What's it going to take for you to trust me? I can't be your guardian if you don't trust me."

"Guardian?"

"One of us had to do it to make sure you would be okay around other vampires, and Kakashi thought it would be a good chance for the two of us to get to know each other."

"Oh." Sakura yawned loudly and sighed. "Don't we have school tomorrow?"

"Holiday." I looked her way.

"What kind?"

"I don't know. The calendar said it was a holiday."

"What about the vampire. The girl, did you kill her?" Sakura's voice trembled

"Naruto did."

"What about the girls? Are they okay?"

"Hinata passed out but the others were too scared to do anything. Kakashi can just erase their memories. They'll remember the people who came, but they won't remember anything after that."

"How do vampires die? I thought you were immortal."

"There's three ways we can die. Decapitation, we can burn or a silver stake through the heart. In this case, Naruto ripped her head off."

"Ugh…I'm glad I didn't see that."

"So," I scooted back to Sakura. She looked my way expectantly. "Since I'm your guardian and all, tell me your likes and dislikes."

"That's personal."

"That's my job." I retorted. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I don't like blood-"

"That makes the whole vampire thing kind of awkward."

"I know. I don't like blood; I can't stand it. After the whole assassination by those three vampires, I hate it. Just…looking at it makes me crazy..." Sakura trailed off.

"Did Kakashi ever tell you who those three were?"

"Uh… I think he said Itachi, Sasori and D-Deidara."

"Right. And he told you to stay away from them right?"

"Yes. He did, but he didn't exactly tell me why they were so bad."

"Fine. For starters, Itachi is my older brother." I watched Sakura's eyes widen in surprise.

"Really?" she asked.

I nodded. "Itachi Uchiha, the heir to the Uchiha thrones. Before the war started, he had proven himself to be a typical older brother. I was only six when the war started, which was about two hundred years ago. And when it did, I was with Naruto. We were at his house playing in the backyard when we heard crashes and screaming down the street…

**:**

_**I picked up one of Naruto's homemade toys and showed it to him. "This one is better than yours Naruto, so I won."**_

"_**But it's my toy, so I win." Naruto snatched the toy away from me and frowned at me.**_

"_**Give it back!" I shouted, jumping on top of Naruto and wrestled him for it. **_

"_**It's mine you idiot!" Naruto shouted back.**_

"_**You have four already stupid!" The fight went on for about five minutes before we stopped and listened to the sounds coming from the other streets. We weren't tall enough to see over the fence that separated his house from the others, so Naruto got on my shoulders. Naruto still couldn't see over the fence, but he was strong enough to lift himself up to look.**_

"_**What is it?"**_

"_**I dunno. There are some new people walking around. And they look funny." Naruto said thoughtfully.**_

"_**Well what do they look like?"**_

"_**Uh. They have big red and black robes on. Uh-oh. One saw me looking at him." Naruto said a little nervous, "And he's coming over here." He hopped down and grinned at me.**_

"_**I'll go get mommy and see what's going on okay?" I nodded, but just as I did, a cloaked figure hopped the fence and stood in front of Naruto and I. I recognized this person immediately.**_

"_**Brother, what are you doing here?" I asked. Naruto stepped back and glared at Itachi. He never did like him. "Naruto it's okay." I told him. "So what do you want?" I asked Itachi again.**_

"_**Forgive me Sasuke." Was all he said before he pulled a long sword from his back.**_

"_**Where'd you get that? Put it away!" I screamed at him. Itachi ignored me and approached Naruto. He quickly stepped away from Itachi. **_

"_**What the heck are you doing?" he asked with a frightened voice. Before Naruto could ask anything else, Itachi thrust the blade through his stomach. Blood soaked the blade and Naruto's aggrieved face stared at it. Itachi pulled it out quickly and let Naruto fall to the ground.**_

"_**N-Naruto!" I ran up to him and turned Naruto over. His eyes were just closing, and his blood was already staining the ground when I reached him. "No! Hey get up! Naruto you idiot! Wake up." I closed my eyes and cried.**_

"_**Sasuke." I looked up at Itachi and scowled.**_

"_**I hate you. I hate you!" I hit Itachi as hard as I could, but he didn't even flinch. Then it dawned to me that he was going to kill me too, so I backed away again and ran in Naruto's house.**_

"_**M-Miss Kushina! Miss Kushinaa!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Naruto's mother came running out of the kitchen.**_

"_**Yes Sasuke? What is it?" she looked at the blood that was on my hands, and gasped. "Sasuke, what happened?"**_

"_**H-H-He killed Naruto. Itachi killed Naruto!" I cried. **_

_**Kushina's eyes widened and stared at me. "W-What?"**_

"_**Itachi. H-He came out of n-nowhere and stabbed Naruto. I-I couldn't stop him and-" **_

_**Kushina stopped me and told me to go in the kitchen and stay quiet. I listened to her and waited quietly for her to come back, but she didn't. I heard more screaming and crying from outside. It was Kushina. I heard mumbles that had to be from Itachi, then silence. Slow footsteps were now walking in the house. I ran out of the kitchen to face Kushina who had blood all over her.**_

"_**Miss Ku-" I stopped when she collapsed. I tried my best to hold her up, and when I did, I noticed the stab wound in her back. "No. Itachi stop!!" I placed Kushina on the ground and ran out the house. There were several cloaked figures going from house to house, almost one hundred of them. My house wasn't too far from Naruto's so I made it in no time. **_

"_**Mother! Father, Itachi's gone crazy! He killed Naruto and-" I rounded a corner and found both of my parents dead on the floor. I collapsed on the floor and screamed, cursing Itachi. That's when I felt a pain in my stomach. I opened my eyes, and when I looked down, Itachi's blade was protruding through my stomach. The blade disappeared from my vision and I fell beside my parents. When I managed to look up before I died, I saw Itachi's face. He was the last person I wanted to see before I died. He was the last person I would expect to kill his entire family. He was the last person I expected to betray me.**_

_**:**_

Sakura's eyes widened and filled with tears. "Oh my god."

I nodded. "After that, I woke up, and I didn't know what the hell was going on."

_**:**_

_**My eyes opened, and I found myself facing a man with spiky silver hair. The events that occurred earlier that day suddenly ran through my head. I touched my stomach and traced over the bandages that were there.**_

"_**What's going on?" I asked. If that blade killed Naruto, Kushina, and my own parents why didn't it kill me?**_

"_**My name is Kakashi. How are you feeling?"**_

"_**Why am I alive? I was supposed to be dead…" I trailed off and looked around the room, finding a familiar blonde head.**_

"_**Naruto!" I hopped out of bed, wincing out of the pain coming from my stomach. He was lying there, just as I was. The bandages around his waist were blood stained, and his chest was moving up and down.**_

"_**He's alive." I whispered. I turned to Kakashi and stared at him. "What did you do?"**_

"_**Your name is Sasuke right?" I nodded. "What do you know about vampires?'' **_

"_**Uh…don't they suck peoples blood?" **_

"_**Right." Kakashi smiled at me.**_

"_**And they're evil. Why is this important right now? Where are Itachi and…Miss Kushina?"**_

"_**We're still looking for Itachi, and Kushina has disappeared."**_

"_**She should be at Naruto's house! I saw her and Naruto. Itachi stabbed both of them, so they should be dead. What the hell is going on?"**_

"_**Hmm…how should I explain this? Well…you and Naruto are vampires now." Kakashi grinned at me.**_

"_**What?"**_

"_**You two are vampires. You died and I brought you back to life as vampires."**_

"_**But that's impossible! They don't even exist." I screamed at him. I turned to Naruto and shook him. "Hey Naruto get up. We have to leave." Kakashi touched my shoulder and sighed.**_

"_**Naruto took longer to revive than you, so he's not going to wake up anytime soon." Kakashi said. I stopped shaking him, almost as if I believed the crap he was saying.**_

"_**What are you talking about? Are you crazy?"**_

_**Without answering me, Kakashi removed the bandages on Naruto's waist. I couldn't see the stab wound, but I could see intricate designs around his belly button. I've seen Naruto's stomach before, and this was never there.**_

"_**What is this?" **_

"_**The reason Naruto won't be waking up. I couldn't revive him completely with my vampire powers, so I had to use something else."**_

"_**And what was that?''**_

"_**A demon."**_

"_**Huh? A demon?"**_

"_**It's called the Nine Tailed Fox. If you ever see Naruto change his form or turn red, come tell me as soon as you can."**_

"_**Why would he turn red?"**_

"_**If something makes him really sad or angry, he'll attack the nearest thing he'll see, so you would need my help if it happens."**_

"_**Okay."**_

"_**Now come with me. There are some other boys I'd like you to meet." I took one last look at Naruto before I followed him to another room. I was surprised to find three other boys lounging in the room. T he boys looked up and eyed me suspiciously.**_

"_**Who's that?" asked one of them with long brown hair.**_

"_**Sasuke. That's Neji, Shikamaru and Sai. They're vampires too, so you don't have to worry about them. Neji and Sai are seven and the others are your age. I'm going to go take care of Naruto so you can stay in here." Then Kakashi left me. There was nowhere to sit, so I stood in a corner. What was I supposed to do now? My family was dead, and Itachi was on the loose. The only person I had now was Naruto. And he lost everyone too.**_

"_**Hey you." I looked up and found Sai standing in front of me.**_

"_**What?"**_

_**Sai smiled. "Hi."**_

_**I hesitated before answering. "Hi."**_

"_**So, what's your name?"**_

"_**Sasuke."**_

"_**Well it's nice to meet you." Then Sai walked away. I looked after him and sighed. How could he be so friendly? If he was here, surely something bad happened to him too, and this was not the time to be happy. I sat in the corner I was in and started falling asleep when I heard growling and screaming from the room I was previously in. That is when I remembered what Kakashi told me about Naruto and his demon. **_

_**I quickly shot up and ran in the room. Naruto was up in his bed on all fours. The weird mark on his stomach was glowing red and his facial features were changing before my eyes. His eyes were blood red, whiskers appeared on his cheeks, and large fangs grew from his mouth. He was turning red just as Kakashi predicted. Kakashi.**_

"_**Naruto…" I looked around for Kakashi and found him unconscious next to Naruto's bed. I ran outside and got the others. They were already up and on their feet when I reached him. Except for Shikamaru. He was snoring loudly on a couch.**_

"_**Hey Shikamaru!!" Neji shook Shikamaru awake.**_

"_**Huh? What?"**_

"_**Come on!" We reached Naruto and tried to calm him down. He was really scary right now. It took a long time for us to calm my friend down. Eventually, all the abnormal features disappeared and Naruto collapsed. We caught Naruto before he hit the ground and got a closer look at him. His whiskers were still there, but smaller and more hidden than the ones that just recently showed.**_

"_**What should we do now?" Shikamaru asked while yawning loudly. He helped us put Naruto back on the bed and went over to Kakashi. I watched him do press his fingers together, then a shadow appear from beneath him. I watched when Shikamaru stood Kakashi did too, even though he was still unconscious.**_

"_**Whoa." I whispered. The shadow disappeared and Kakashi was left leaning against a wall.**_

"_**Kakashiiii!" Shikamaru shook Kakashi rapidly. "Hello! Anybody in there?"**_

"_**Neji?"**_

_**Neji looked my way and asked what I wanted. "How did Shikamaru do that?"**_

"_**Do what?"**_

"_**You know. That little shadowy thingy."**_

"_**Oh. It's a vampire thing. All vampires can do this cool trick. Like mine is seeing through stuff, and Sai can bring his paintings alive."**_

"_**Cool."**_

"_**I know. So what's yours?" Neji asked me.**_

"_**I don't know."**_

"_**Seriously? Well we have to figure it out!" Kakashi stirred and groaned.**_

"_**Kakashi! Is it true Sasuke doesn't know his power?" Sai ran up to Kakashi.**_

"_**What? What happened to Naruto?"**_

"_**He went back to sleep." I told Kakashi. "What's my power?"**_

"_**Uh…I don't know what it is. It's something you have to find on your own." I frowned and Kakashi touched my shoulder.**_

"_**But you'll find it soon."**_

"_**Yeah! I found mine the second day I was here." Shikamaru grinned.**_

"_**I found it after Neji. You wanna see?" Sai asked happily.**_

"_**Later. I want to make sure Naruto is okay." I turned to Naruto and looked at him.**_

"_**Sasuke, it's okay to go play. I'll take care of Naruto."**_

"_**You said that last time." I pointed out.**_

_**Kakashi grinned. "For real this time. I promise."**_

"_**Okay…fine." I reluctantly followed my friends outside to play.**_

"_**Hey look at mine first!" Neji said.**_

"_**Okay." Neji didn't do the same hand sings as Shikamaru, but he put his fingers together. I watched as his eyes widened and veins appeared around his eyes.**_

"_**That looks painful Neji." I winced. "Does it hurt?"**_

"_**Nope. Watch this." Neji looked around the backyard and approached a huge metal fence. It looked impossible to knock down, and when I knocked on it, it was hard and dense.**_

"_**Okay. Behind this fence is…a man walking his dog, some kids playing with sticks and stones, uh, and a messenger. Something bad has happened." Neji deactivated his power and ran inside.**_

"_**Kakashi!" Neji shouted. **_

"_**Yeah. What is it?" Kakashi left Naruto's room.**_

"_**There is a messenger outside." Just as Neji said that, the doorbell rang. "Stay over here." Kakashi ordered to us. We spied and watched Kakashi answer the door. There was indeed a messenger at the door. I secretly hoped my power was as cool as the others.**_

"_**Yes sir?" **_

"_**Kakashi Hatake?" the man behind the door asked. Kakashi nodded. He reached in his bag and pulled out an envelope. Kakashi read the envelope the messenger gave him and sighed. His shoulders slumped and he nodded.**_

"_**Thank-you." He whispered.**_

"_**I'm sorry about the loss." With that, Kakashi closed the door and walked back towards us.**_

"_**What is it? What happened?" Sai asked.**_

"_**It's nothing." Kakashi forced a sad smile, placed the paper on the dresser and left the room. When we were sure he was gone, we reached for the note and read it.**_

_**Kakashi Hatake,**_

_**We have been informed that your father Sakumo Hatake and your master Minato Uzumaki were killed in a recent ambush in the northern region. We are sorry for your loss and your father and teacher will always be remembered as heroes in the Vampire Society.**_

_**-Council**_

"_**Oh no." Shikamaru whispered.**_

"_**What are we going to do?" Neji looked at Sai.**_

"_**I don't know. He's really sad now." Sai pointed out.**_

"_**I know!," I started. "We can do all the stuff for him around the house. You know clean and take care of Naruto while he's the way he is."**_

"_**Genius! Okay, so where do we start?"**_

"_**Uh…I'll get the broom, Shikamaru you can get the dishes, Sai you can put away the toys, and Neji can keep look out."**_

"_**Okay. Come on you guys!"**_

**:**

"Aaw." Sakura smiled.

"In the end, it didn't turn out to well. Shikamaru broke the dishes, Sai stuffed the toys under a rug, I wasn't a good sweeper, and Neji wasn't paying attention when Kakashi walked past him." I managed to smirk a little when I remembered that day.

"What about Naruto."

"He woke up."

**:**

"_**Uh-oh." Neji looked in front of him. **_

"_**What happened?"**_

"_**Kakashi's down the hall!"**_

"_**You were supposed to keep look out!" Shikamaru picked the shards of glass off the ground.**_

"_**Well I was looking outside and I saw this pretty bird…"**_

"_**Come on. We have to get to Naruto before Kakashi does!" We ran to Naruto's room and kneeled over his bed.**_

"_**What now?"**_

"_**I dunno." We stared at Naruto and sighed.**_

"_**This is boring. When is he going to wake-" Shikamaru stopped in his tracks when Naruto groaned.**_

"_**Hey. Is he…"**_

"_**Yeah." I finished Sai's sentence. Naruto's eyes fluttered and closed. They opened again and scanned the room. When he sat up, he stared at the others, then at me.**_

"_**Sasuke." He whispered.**_

"_**Yeah."**_

"_**I thought I was dead."**_

"_**So did I. But we're both okay now, right?" I smiled at my friend.**_

"_**I feel fine." Naruto rolled out of the bed and doubled over. "Ow…" he whistled. **_

"_**Naruto, are you okay? What is it?" I asked him.**_

"_**My stomach is killing me!" I looked down and saw his mark glowing red.**_

'_**If you ever see Naruto change his form or turn red, come tell me as soon as you can.'**_

"_**Kakashi!" I shouted. Kakashi came running in the room and took a look at Naruto.**_

"_**You're awake."**_

"_**Who are you?" Naruto eyed**_

"_**Your new father. What happened? Why are you on the-"**_

_**Naruto's face twisted into a scowl. "I have a father. He's just away right now. You are not my father so get away from me!" Naruto kicked Kakashi in his knee.**_

"_**Naruto, he's dead."**_

_**Naruto's eyes widened. And so did mine. "What?" I asked him.**_

"_**They were killed in an ambush."**_

"_**That was Naruto's father?" I was flabbergasted as I realized Kakashi's master was Naruto's father. Naruto's eyes filled with tears as he got of the floor and ran. He tripped on his way out, but he made it out the door before anyone could stop him.**_

"_**Naruto! Hold on." I ran after him. Tears were flooding my eyes as well. We were both alone now, with no one to look to…no one but ourselves.**_

_**I caught up with Naruto when he stopped in the backyard. "Naruto." I sighed.**_

"_**Go away Sasuke." Naruto sniffed.**_

"_**I know how you feel," I told him. "Itachi killed my parents too."**_

_**Naruto looked up at me shocked. "I'm sorry."**_

"_**Me too. But I have an idea. We're vampires, did Kakashi already tell you?"**_

_**Naruto shook his head. "No he didn't, but…that's kinda cool."**_

"_**It really is," I sat beside my friend. The stars were out tonight and it looked really pretty.**_

"_**What's your idea?" Naruto asked while wiping his cerulean eyes.**_

"_**Uh…oh. Kakashi is going to take care of and train us, so when we become really strong, we can kill Itachi together." I smiled and Naruto. Naruto smiled back and giggled.**_

"_**We're gonna send him crying!" Naruto punched a fist in the air.**_

"_**That's right! Itachi here we come!"**_

**:**

Sakura giggled. "That's really cute, but what changed your attitude Sasuke? I mean, towards Itachi and Naruto-kun. I remember Naruto-kun told me you changed."

I nodded. "It happened while we were sparring. Kakashi had gone hunting, but we were old enough to stay home alone. Itachi showed up."

**:**

"_**Yo Sasuke, you take Naruto while I'm gone. I'll see you later." Kakashi told us before he left for his hunt. I looked around for Naruto and found him asleep under a tree. I shook my head. When I walked up to him, I knelt down and whispered something in his ear.**_

"_**Naruto…ramen is on sell at the market." Naruto quickly shot up.**_

"_**Where? Sasuke where's the money-" he glanced at me and his surroundings and frowned.**_

"_**That's not funny. You know how I feel about ramen on sale."**_

"_**It is to me. Now come on, we have to spar."**_

_**Naruto groaned. "I don't feel like it. I'm hungry and tired."**_

"_**You're always hungry and tired." I pointed out.**_

"_**Exactly." Naruto sighed and I rolled my eyes.**_

"_**Too bad for you. Come on." I dragged Naruto to our training spot.**_

"_**Damn Sasuke. You know you're gonna win anyways."**_

"_**Not if you actually fight." We started after that. Naruto beat me the first two rounds, but I beat him the last three.**_

"_**I knew you would win." Naruto plopped on the grass and looked up at the sky. Shikamaru told him that looking at the clouds was a peaceful, relaxing thing. At first Naruto thought Shikamaru was loosing it, but when we both actually took time to try it out, it turned out to be relaxing after all.**_

"_**Well you beat me twice. Hell, you almost beat me that last time." I sat next to him. Sai and Shikamaru were just finishing while Neji was waiting for the winner. But all fighting stopped when we felt a familiar, but deadly burst of chakra and energy. Naruto and I sat up.**_

"_**He's here." I whispered. Itachi hopped in our backyard and chuckled when he saw all five of us get in out fighting stance.**_

"_**I'm not here to look for a fight." He said. We didn't let up on our intent to kill.**_

"_**What do you want?" I asked. Naruto was leaking chakra. I could feel it. We all could.**_

"_**Naruto Uzumaki. You are coming with me." Itachi demanded.**_

_**Naruto's glare intensified. "I'm not going anywhere." Itachi approached Naruto and I.**_

"_**You have the nerve coming here." I spat. "After everything you did."**_

"_**You killed everyone," Naruto added. " And now you're going to pay for it."**_

"_**I said I wasn't looking for a fight. I just want Naruto to come with me, there is a lot that must be done."**_

_**I was confused as to why Itachi wanted Naruto so badly, and why he didn't even show a bit of sympathy for the fact that he killed his family and his own little brother. No, he was only interested in Naruto.**_

_**Itachi appeared next to Naruto in a quick flash. Naruto bared his fangs and swiped at him. He managed to cut Itachi's cheek, but he didn't do enough damage to bring Itachi down. I followed Naruto and threw Itachi away from him. Itachi landed gracefully on his feet and wiped his cheek.**_

"_**I am not fighting a child. Now move Sasuke, you are in the way." I refused to move, so Itachi threw me away with enough power to knock me unconscious, and it did. Naruto, Neji Shikamaru and Sai were trying their best to fend Itachi off until Kakashi realized what was going on. I tried to send a message to Kakashi through my mind, and succeeded before I was unconscious.**_

_**:**_

_**When I awoke, I was in my bed again. Naruto was on his side of the room looking for something behind his bed. He looked my way and smiled when he saw that I was awake.**_

"_**Hey, you're awake. Well? How do you feel?" I ignored Naruto, letting Itachi's words run through my head.**_

' _**I just want Naruto to come with me, there is a lot that must be done.'**_

'_**Move Sasuke, you are in the way.'**_

_**Itachi was only interested in Naruto. I looked up at him and stared. Naruto of all people.**_

"_**Yo. What's up with you?" Naruto frowned confused. Why Naruto? He could barely beat me in a sparring match.**_

"_**Hellooo! Earth to Sasuke!" Naruto waved a hand in front of my face. I snapped back to reality and glared away from Naruto.**_

"_**I'm fine. Stop yelling." I got out of bed and walked out of the room, slamming it behind me.**_

_**:**_

"So…you were confused as to why Itachi was more interested in Naruto-kun than you." Sakura stated.

"Yeah. After that, I wanted to do everything alone. I wasn't Naruto's sparring partner anymore, and I guess our friendship was gone too."

"But you can always just suck up your pride and talk to Naruto-kun about it. If you really, truly hate Itachi, you shouldn't let your friendship with Naruto be affected because of it. Besides, he's a forgiving person, he'll understand." Sakura smiled at me. That was the first time I'd seen her smile towards me. And I thought I liked it, but I'm sure I was just being delusional.

"That isn't my style though. Besides, it's no big deal."

"It is a big deal!" Sakura's tone of voice surprised me a little. She always seemed to be the quiet, laid-back type, not one to demand. "Naruto-kun is your friend."

I shrugged.

"Sasuke come on! How do you expect to kill Itachi without the help from your friends?"

"Me fighting Itachi is a personal thing. I can only do it by myself."

"That's crazy. Itachi killed Naruto and his mother. He has a reason to get revenge too!" Sakura stared at me with tears in her eyes. I would never understand why girls were so sensitive. "It's not fair."

"You don't get it Sakura. He's my brother-"

"That doesn't mean anything. You are just being selfish." Sakura looked away and buried her face in her knees.

"Sakura…" I was confused now. I crawled up to her and tried to get a look at her face. "Hey you? Are you crying?" When girls cried, I didn't exactly know what to do, which left me in an awkward situation.

"Okay. I'll talk to Naruto if you don't cry." Sakura didn't budge. " And I'll apologize for being an asshole for two hundred, forty-three years." Sakura shot up.

"How old are you two?"

"Shikamaru, Naruto and I are two hundred, fifty six. Neji and Sai are two hundred, fifty seven."

"Wow. And Kakashi?"

"I think he said three hundred, three. He was twenty-one when he was changed, and he was a vampire sixty years before the rest of us. But that's young in vampire years. Anyway, are you okay?"

Sakura stared at me for a long second before she nodded. Then I looked confused when she smiled at me.

"What are you smiling at Sakura?"

"You. What you did just now was kind of cute. It reminded me of something a kid would do." Sakura giggled.

"What did I do?"

Sakura sighed. "Forget it."

"No seriously. What did I do that made you laugh at me?" I crawled next to her and looked her in the eye.

Sakura gasped and held her breath. My face was right in front of hers. Inches apart. I never really noticed how cute Sakura was. Her face was like a magnet, because I found myself moving closer and closer. I stopped when I felt Kakashi's mind open.

'**Where are you Kakashi?' **I sent Kakashi.

'**We're at the mansion. The rogue vampires are dead, so it is okay for you to take Sakura out. Is she okay?'**

'**She's fine. Did you erase her friends' memories?'**

'**Yes. Come quickly.'**

I closed my mind and looked at Sakura. "We can go now. It's safe."

"Okay." Sakura whispered. I studied her face and saw that it was filled with confusion. I was going to kiss her, and I was going to mean it. Sakura touched her clothes and sighed. I take it they were finally dry. She slipped them back on and looked at me. I didn't realize I was staring at her the entire time.

I put my shirt over my head and stood. "Get on my back." I knelt down low enough so Sakura could climb on. When she got on, a made sure she was holding on tight and made sure she was comfortable. I started flitting to the mansion. I could hear Sakura screaming behind me, so I stopped.

"What?" I asked.

"What are you doing? Why are you going so fast?"

"So I can save time. Are you on?" Sakura nodded and on that note, I started up again. We reached the mansion in ten minutes flat. When I put Sakura down, I looked at her disheveled hair and I didn't know I smiled until Sakura mentioned it.

Sakura stared at me in awe.

"What now?"

" You smiled."

"I did?"

"I've never seen you smile. You should do it more often. All that frowning is going to make you look old."

"Not really."

"Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"I know where Miss Kushina is." I stopped in my tracks.

"You do?"

"Yes. And so does Kakashi-san. She worked at the orphanage I used to go to."

"If Kakashi knew, why didn't he tell Naruto? He still thinks she's dead." I pointed out. Naruto has been living alone for nothing.

"Maybe it's a parental thing. But should I tell Naruto-kun?"

"Not before I talk to Kakashi. And besides, I have to talk to Naruto tonight." I smirked at her when she smiled and turned to the mansion.

**:**

Sakura's friends were just waking up right now.

"Whoa. What the hell just happened?" Ino looked around groggily. "Where's my car?"

"Sasuke and Sakura got lost and you guys passed out. And Sai volunteered to bring your car back over here." Kakashi explained.

Hinata shot up and gasped. "W-W-What's going on." Hinata started shaking and crying. "What's going on?"

Tenten rubbed her back and tried to soothe her friend. When it didn't work, Naruto knelt down and started talking to her. Kakashi probably skipped a few memories while he was erasing

"Hinata-chan, it's going to be okay. You're safe now. It's okay." I heard Naruto say Sakura glanced at me and I nodded. Naruto just called Hinata _Hinata-chan. _Hinata nodded her head and passed out again. Temari moved Hinata to her lap.

"Poor girl." She whispered. I somewhat agreed. I checked Hinata's energy levels, and she seemed to be the weakest one out of the four girls. Sakura wasn't to far off from Hinata either. "Is that all that happened?" Temari looked up at Kakashi.

"That's all."

"Kakashi? What time is it?"

"Uh…nine."

"Okay. Well I told my mom I wasn't going to be gone past ten so I have to go." Tenten stood. I heard the car honking outside and realized it was Sai with Ino's car.

"Thank-you for having me over." Tenten thanked and went outside. The other girls followed and went outside. Naruto helped Temari put Hinata in the car, and I went to Kakashi.

"Hey. You know Naruto's mother is still alive, so why haven't you told him?" I asked, getting straight to the point. I could feel the quiet Sakura staring at the two of us.

"Kushina Uzumaki made me promise not to tell Naruto she was alive. She's blamed herself for what happened when the both of you died. But it wouldn't hurt for the two of you two go see her. If you want that is."

"I do. And I'll tell Naruto." I glanced at Sakura, who nodded as I went outside as well. Sai was talking to Ino. I heard him ask if she wanted him to drive since she was still tired. Ino nodded, and sat in the passenger seat. When Naruto was finished, he approached me and, Sai drove off.

"Crazy day huh?" he asked.

"Yeah." There was a long, uncomfortable silence. "Hey Naruto?"

"What?"

"I know where your mother is. She's still alive." I heard Naruto's breathing catch his throat as he faced me.

"You what?"

"While Sakura and I were gone, she told me she knew who she was. She worked at the orphanage she went to."

"And Kakashi knew about this?" I nodded. "Shit!" Naruto went inside and confronted Kakashi, grabbing his shirt.

"Why didn't you tell me? You got me thinking she was dead this entire time. Dammit Kakashi!"

Kakashi sighed. "She told me not to tell you. She thinks it's her fault you and Sasuke are dead." I placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and stopped him from going off any further. Naruto sighed and went back outside. Sakura went outside to sit next to him on the grass and I followed.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Naruto asked.

"We were going to go see her tomorrow." I told him. Sasuke turned my way.

"Man. It feels like forever since I've seen her."

"Yep. Two hundred, fifty years to be exact."

"You know, this whole age thing is creepy." Sakura said.

"How so?" Naruto asked.

"Well, I'm only sixteen, and you guys are two hundred, fifty-six. And you look my age. But I thought vampires didn't age."

"They don't," I explained. "We were half-vampires when Kakashi changed us. There was a law that passed that half-human, half-vampires would be executed because the council found out humans were aiding the rogue vampires during the war."

"Oh…do the rogue vampire have a special name? Like you guys are the good guys."

"The Akatsuki. They're called the Akatsuki."

"How many of them are there?"

"Nobody knows. Probably about ten or fifteen of them, but they have spies that live everywhere. Which makes it around thousands of them."

"What? Oh my god…"

"Exactly." Naruto said. "But one day, their all gonna die, whether other vampires do it, or we do it."

"How many good vampires live around here?" Sakura asked.

"A lot. Most vampires live in hiding because they're scared of the Akatsuki, but others are ready to fight, like us. Which makes it about five hundred. There's about one hundred at our school." Naruto told Sakura. She gasped.

"Really? Isn't that unsafe for humans?"

"Not if the vampire teachers keep us in line."

"Are all the teachers at Sarutobi Academy vampires?"

"Hmm…most of them are. I'm not really sure."

Sakura lay on the grass and looked up. "Are you guys ever gonna leave and go fight?"

"Probably not. Maybe, if the Akatsuki gets on the move again, but I doubt that, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Okay. Naruto-kun, I'm so glad you're going to see your mother."

"Me too. Hey," Naruto rolled over and looked at the two of us. "What if she forgot about me or something?"

"That's crazy. You're her son."

"Yeah, but Kakashi said-"

"Who cares about what Kakashi said?" I said.

Naruto groaned and stood. "Well I'm going inside." Naruto waved at us and went inside. Sakura sighed and played with the grass.

"He's nervous. You can tell." I nodded in agreement.

" I can't blame him though. I'm going inside too, are you?" I stood and looked at Sakura.

"Not right now. I want to sit out a little longer." Sakura hugged her knees and stared at everything around us. I didn't know much about Sakura, but I did know she was interesting. Very interesting.

"Alright." With that, I turned and went inside.

**:**

It's been an hour and thirty minutes already, and Sakura hasn't moved a muscle. I knew because I've been watching her ever since I went inside. Finally I decided it was time for her to come in, so I went outside and called for her, but she didn't answer, so I went up to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Sakura?" I went in front of Sakura to get a look at her face, and sighed at what I saw. She was asleep. I picked her up and dropped her off in her room. I heard Sakura mutter something in Gibberish. She was one to talk in her sleep. Interesting.

**:**

Finally, it was morning. Naruto was spazzing out in his room. We were about ready to leave in five minutes.

"Yo Naruto. Let's go."

"Okay." I think he was so scared, he forgot to eat, but surely that'll catch up on him later. Sakura was coming too. She was just as excited as Naruto was, but she seemed a little lost. She was sitting in the middle of her bed, looking outside her window. It looked like she was always staring at the window as if she was waiting for something.

"What are you doing?" I asked her finally. She jumped and turned around to face me.

"Um…Nothing." She lied.

"You're doing something. What are you always looking at?" I glanced out the window and found nothing worth looking at.

"Everything." Sakura replied.

"You're unusual." I told her.

She frowned. "How am I unusual?"

"Because when I look outside, there's nothing worth looking at all the time; just people and buildings."

"Just because you don't understand what I do, I'm weird?"

"No. I understand almost everything, and you're the only person I can never figure out. We're getting ready to leave, so come down stairs."

"O-Okay." Sakura closed her blinds and followed me down the stairs. Neji, Shikamaru and Sai were staying behind, mainly because they didn't know Kushina, and also because they didn't want to intrude, although it was no big deal. Kakashi volunteered to drive us since we didn't know the way, but on the way there, Naruto and Sakura were talking about how kind she was during all the time she was there. She was at the orphanage for three years before Kakashi adopted her. I never did understand why he adopted her in the first place, and when I asked, he wouldn't tell. He always said, _' In time, you'll figure it out.' _ Like it helped.

Kakashi stopped driving. He was parked in a small driveway in front of an equally small building. Naruto was the one who knocked on the door. He let out a breath of air when it opened.

"Welcome to the orphanage. How may I…?" Kushina stopped and stared at Naruto. "Naruto?"

"Mom…" Kushina wrapped her arms around Naruto and started crying.

"Oh Naruto. You've gotten so big!" Kushina pulled back and Naruto wiped his eyes. "You're taller than me." Then she turned to me. "Sasuke, is that you?"

I went up to her and gave her a hug as well. "Oh…I feel so short. What have you two been doing all this time?"

"Nothing much. It's been too long." Naruto smiled.

"What happened to my little Naruto? Have you been eating right? You're a little thin."

"Not exactly," I said. "His diet mainly consists of ramen."

"Ramen. I blame you Kakashi. When I said take care of these two, that also meant feeding them properly."

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "I can't cook. The last full meal we had was when Sakura cooked." I just noticed Sakura was quiet the entire time. She was hiding behind Kakashi the entire time.

"Good morning Kushina-san." Sakura gave a small wave.

"Sakura, why are you hiding?" Kakashi stepped aside to reveal Sakura completely. Kushina went up to Sakura and gave her a bear hug.

"N-No reason Kushina-san." I heard Sakura giggle.

"Have they been treating you right? Because if they aren't, I'll beat them up for you." Kushina looked at Sakura.

"I'm fine. Really."

"And the blood?" Kushina asked, referring to Sakura's phobia.

"None so far."

"Awesome. Now come inside. We can't stand in the doorway forever." Kushina led us inside when a girl probably three years younger than Sakura approached her.

"Kushina-san. Who are these people?"

"This is Naruto, my son, Sasuke his friend, and Sakura, who used to go here. Kakashi is an old friend."

"Nice to finally meet you Naruto-kun." The girl bowed at the rest of us and walked away.

"She's new. Poor girl's parents abused her, a shame." Kushina sighed. "We're moving the orphanage."

"Really? Where?"

"We earned enough money to get a new one. It's not too far from here."

"I said you can always get money from me. I have plenty." Kakashi told Kushina.

Kushina shook her head. "I'd rather work for it." Then Sakura stood.

"I want to get some fresh air. I'll be back in ten." Sakura nodded and waked off.

"Did she always do that?" I asked. "She stares out the window a lot."

"It's a habit of hers. She used to do it almost everyday when she was with us. One time I followed her outside, and she was praying. Then another time, she was just staring at the people she saw. But she doesn't just stare at them; she stares through them. It's almost as if she can sense how people are feeling; all the pain they've been through, how happy they are… I used to think of her as the girl who saw everything."

'**The girl who saw everything…' **I thought.

"You would think she's a vampire. Sometimes, I'm scared for Sakura. She cares more about other people and how they feel more than she cares about herself." Kushina sighed. "She's just really confused. The entire time she was with me, she never once cried. I listened in on some others girl talking to her, and they asked why she was always so happy. Sakura just said it was because she was happy to be alive. She's always thinking too much about the things she wants to do, and she doesn't really listen to her heart. But she's such a good girl."

Somehow, the girls in the orphanage found out Kushina had visitors, and they all came rushing in, fawning over Naruto and I. Apparently, they knew Kushina had a son, and they were more excited meeting Naruto than me. For once. I was thinking about Sakura anyways. She was confused. She was lost. And deep down, she was scared. I knew exactly how she felt.

It's been thirty minutes since Sakura left, and Kakashi was getting worried. She hasn't come back at all. "Sasuke. Go check on Sakura." I stood and went outside. Her phone was in the grass. When I picked it up, numbers were already dialed. 8…7…3…1. My number. She wasn't on the porch; she wasn't next to the car or in the back. She wasn't anywhere. I cursed under my breath. She was in trouble.

"She's gone." I said when I went back inside. Naruto immediately left the girls and went up to me. Kakashi and Kushina stood as well.

"Did you check in the back?"

"I did." I showed them the phone. "She tried calling for help."

"Dammit." Naruto sighed. Kushina ruffled his hair.

"Darn it Naruto. Say darn it." Kushina turned to Kakashi. "Do you have any idea where she could've gone?"

"None. You two go look for her. I'll go get the others." Kakashi hopped in the car and drove off. He had to be pushing ninety.

"Boys, I can't leave the orphanage. I'm sorry." Kushina tried pushing the girls back inside the building.

"It's alright. We'll come back and let you know when we find her." Naruto gave his mom a kiss on the cheek, and I gave her a wave before we both left.

**:**

"Tylar. Why didn't you let me call them? Let me go!" Tylar was dragging me by my arm. I wasn't supposed to be with him right now.

"Why are you so scared to be around me Sakura? Was it something Uchiha said?" Tylar said, with an edge of rage in his voice.

"N-No…I mean…he said you were a vampire."

"That's why you don't want to be around me?"

"I do. It's just…I can't." Tylar sighed and kept pulling me. "Can you please let me go? I'll walk beside you."

"I don't trust you."

' _**I knew this guy was bad news. Shit. Come on already! Let go! Sakura, if you don't do anything, I'll take over.'**_

'_No I'm okay.'_

"Tylar, why don't you trust me?"

"Because you don't trust me enough to know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

"B-But you're hurting me now. Please let go." Tylar ignored me after that. I didn't recognize the place we were going. I didn't even know where we were, and I was scared. Tylar stopped at a house that was isolated from the neighborhood it was supposed to be in. Once inside, I saw that it was pretty empty. We were going downstairs, and once we reached a certain part on the stairs, it saw the stairs getting covered in dirt. We were going underground.

"Tylar. Stop, I don't want to be down here." The stairs ended and Tylar finally let me go. There was a purple and red bruise on my arm in the shape of a hand. There were chains in the corner and Tylar picked them up. I backed away from him and tried talking to him.

"Please…"

"You didn't even call me Sakura." Tylar grabbed my wrist, but I wrenched away from him.

"B-Because I…I was tired and-"

"You weren't yesterday. You went hiking."

"How did you…"

"Those vampires were my parents. The other was my uncle, and guess what Sakura?"

I didn't want to say anything. Tylar grabbed my wrists and put them in metal cuffs. Then he pinned me against the wall and tied the remaining chain through a loop above me so my hands were above my head.

"They're dead. Your beloved family killed mine. What are Yuki and I going to do now, huh?" Tylar was glaring at me.

"T-T-They were trying to kill me! Naruto-kun and Sasuke were trying to save me Tylar. I'm sorry-"

"Save it." Tylar added another set of cuffs on my feet.

"We haven't gotten our blood yet." I heard another voice. I looked around the dark cell and found Yuki standing with bloodshot eyes and a look of menace. "So we're going to take it from you."

"What? Tylar, you don't want to do this. Please. You said you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I trust you!" Tylar turned away.

"Tylar. I don't want to drink from her if she's going to squirm around and yell."

"Then shut her up." Tylar ordered. Yuki approached me and grabbed my chin.

"Poor Sakura-chan. Nobody here to help her, well I promise it's a going to be a slow and painful death." Yuki then punched me in my stomach. I gasped and coughed. God that hurt. I could feel the blood rising from my throat, but I quickly forced it back down. I didn't want to bleed. I couldn't bleed.

"God…p-p-please-" she punched me again.

"Damn. I just knocked the wind out of her and she can still talk?" This time, I couldn't stop the blood that was coming out of my mouth. "Mm…do you smell her blood?" Yuki said, wiping her finger over my chin and sticking the blood stained finger in her mouth.

"Tylar. She taste so good. Can I drink from her yet?" Tylar shook his head.

"No. Hold off for a minute." Tylar walked up to me and I started crying quietly.

"N-N-No Tylar." I coughed again and gasped as I saw the blood that was coming out. I closed my eyes tightly and waited for myself to wake up. My chin was grabbed again and yanked up to face Tylar.

"This isn't a dream Sakura. It's real, every bit of it. Now tell me where Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki are." I didn't even know if they knew I was gone yet. And I couldn't tell them they were at Kushina's Orphanage because they would kill her and everyone inside it.

"I don't know." I whispered.

"Don't lie to me Sakura." Tylar's eyes glowed red and his nails changed to claws. That's when he gripped my shoulders and dug them in. I screamed and tried to twist away from him.

"I'm not lying Tylar!" I screamed.

"Why were you out today?"

"I just wanted t-to walk. T-That's all I-I wanted."

"And you were alone?"

"Yes."

Tylar paused, and I thought he believed me, but he chuckled to himself. "Where do you live? I'm sure they're there, and you can't say you don't know."

"No." I whispered.

"What?"

"I'm not telling you anything." I bit my lip and tried my best to deal with the pain I was feeling right now. "Tylar…I-I trusted you." I blinked back tears. "You said you liked me."

"Oh, but I do Sakura." Tylar ripped his nails out of my shoulders-making me yelp-and kissed me. I tried to pull away from him, but he yanked me by my hair and forced me in the kiss. I could feel his tongue roaming my mouth, and tasting the blood that still lingered there. Without breaking the kiss, he slid his fingers down to my button-up shirt. He undid two buttons and pulled away.

I could see the blood that was smudge on his lip. I closed my eyes again and gasped. Blood. It was all around me. Tylar made a noise when I started hyperventilating.

"What's wrong with you?"

"B-B-Blood. Get away f-from me. G-G-Get it away from me!" I screamed. I started thrashing about wildly on the chains before Tylar decided to stop me.

"Yuki. Leave." Tylar demanded. Yuki left with a huff and abandoned Tylar and I. "Sakura dear, don't tell me you're afraid of blood." Tylar whispered in my ear. I could feel his tongue tracing the outer shell.

I nodded the best I could. My entire body was shaking out fear, the sight of the blood-my blood- on his lips, and the fact that he just ripped my shirt and jeans off. I was left in my bra and underwear.

"Do you want me to get rid of the fear for you?"

"N-No. I-I want you t-to let me go." I cried.

"Sorry Sakura. That isn't happening." Tylar kissed my neck softly before he sunk his fangs in. It hurt just as much as it did the first and second time.

"Please stop…p-please-" I stopped and gasped. It was starting to feel good. I didn't want it to. I didn't want to show Tylar I liked it. It was wrong…it was _so_ wrong.

Eventually, it started hurting all over again. I tried to tell Tylar to stop, but he never did. I didn't think he ever would until he pulled out. I couldn't find any energy to do anything. I couldn't fight, or beg, or scream. Nothing. I was about ready to pass out when Tylar's hand tilted my chin up. He licked the blood on his fingers, but that didn't stop it from running down his arm.

"You're going to get rid of your fear of blood. Today." First Tylar kissed me again. The blood was still on his lips, and stained his sweet taste.

I shook my head and tried to break away, but all I got was another blow in my stomach. The kiss was broken, and my vision was blurred. I couldn't even see straight anymore. The fact I hated the most was that they weren't trying to kill me. They were torturing me.

'_Inner? Inner w-where are you?' _I called out to my Inner who was unusually quiet since I reached the house.

'_**S-Sakura. Get away. D-Do something.' **_Her voice was a quiet moan. She was scared. She couldn't help me.

I tried to writhe away from Tylar, but the chains and his strong grip prevented me from doing so. Apparently Tylar and Yuki scared my Inner enough to push her to the backs of my mind. Tylar looked at me with a smile.

"Blood," Tylar started, moving his claw to my stomach. "Is essential for both humans and vampires. To learn to like is a hard thing to do by yourself." Tylar's claw tickled my abdomen. "But that's what I'm here for." Then he pierced my bruised skin and moved up to where my bra stopped. I screamed in agony and arched my back. I could feel the blood running down my leg and drip to the ground. I couldn't take this anymore. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth.

"You aren't passing out just yet Sakura." Tylar yanked me by my hair and made me face him. His hand was in my face covered in the dreaded crimson fluid.

I screamed and cried the loudest I could. "Get i-it away from…me!"

"Sakura."

"No!"

"Tylar. I smell the blood all the way in my room. Can I have her now?" Yuki appeared in the room.

"Fine." I screamed again with my final burst of energy. Somehow, I felt that that scream would be heard. It didn't take long for Yuki to plunge her fangs in my neck. I couldn't do anything else. I was finished. Yuki was taking more blood than Tylar, and I watched my skin grow paler and paler. When she was finished, she smiled at me.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura." She fingered my hair, and then I felt a weight being lifted from my head. I looked down and saw the pink hair on the ground. I only lasted a few agonizing seconds before I was finally free of pain. I passed out.

**:**

Naruto and I heard the scream. It was quiet and barely heard by even vampire ears, but it was there. And it was Sakura.

"Naruto. Contact Kakashi and tell him where we are. I'm going ahead."

"You sure." Naruto's face was filled with worry.

"Yeah." Naruto and I went our separate ways. Sakura's screams directed me to an abandoned house. Her screams were still going and then, there was silence. I went down the basement stairs and picked up my pace when I caught whiff of a strong aroma of blood. The first thing I saw when I reached the bottom of the stairs was Sakura hitting the ground with chains around her.

There wasn't a part of her body that wasn't covered her blood. Tylar. Tylar was standing next to her, smiling at me.

"I see why you bit Sakura the first time Uchiha. She's amazing." Tylar grabbed Sakura by her now short hair and made her face me. He bloodshot eyes were barely open. There was four fang marks in her neck that were still dripping, an amazingly large gash spread from her bra to her stomach which sported a purple bruise. Her arm had a red bruise that was in the shape of a hand, and her wrists and ankles were red with cuts. Sakura told me she was afraid of blood, and seeing how much she suffered, and covered head-to-toe in blood made me sick. I clenched my fist and glared at Tylar.

I could feel a presence behind me. I didn't know if she knew I noticed, but I did. That was her fault for underestimating me. In one swift movement, I pulled the stake from my pocket, spun around, and stabbed Yuki in her chest. Tylar growled under his breath, glowered at me and threw Sakura away in a corner with all of his strength. I heard unnatural cracking and popping sounds coming from her, but she didn't move a muscle.

"That's it Uchiha!" Tylar charged and we started our fight.

**:**

The fight was over and Tylar was dead. The worst injury I had was poison in my arm, but I was too focused on Sakura to focus on any of the effects I was having. She was crying and moaning while trying the best to wipe the blood off her hands.

"Sakura." I whispered. Sakura didn't hear me, so she continued rubbing her hands against the ground, ignoring the fact that one of her arms were broken and she was cutting her palms.

"Off…get off." Sakura cried. The blood on her hands was dried, so it wasn't coming off.

"Sakura." I called out to her again. Sakura screamed."Sakura!" she jumped and hyperventilated. She tried to get away from me, but I held her to me. "It's okay."

"H-Help me." Sakura pleaded. I wasn't as good as Kakashi when it came to healing, but I knew the basics. I started healing her wounds as best as I could. When I was finished, I was about out of chakra, but at least I knew Sakura felt well because the screaming and wailing changed to whimpers and sobbing. She was resting in my lap with her head on my chest. Somehow, the blood wasn't bothering me. I had no intention of losing control, and I wasn't craving blood right now anyway. My main focus was Sakura. Her pale skin was cold, but that could've been my skin.

Her once long hair that went to the middle of her back was gone and up to her shoulders now. She wasn't talking, but she was probably too scared to talk or do anything else but cry. Kakashi's mind was wide open and ready for me. I told him where we were and waited for him to arrive.

"Sakura." She didn't answer, but I knew she heard me. "Kakashi is on his way." She barely mustered a nod, but she looked up at me with her beautiful jade eyes.

"S-Sasuke," she said just above a whisper. "I f-forgive…you." Sakura clutched my shirt and sighed.

"Sakura." She didn't answer. Shit, Kakashi. Come on. I didn't know if she was going to make it before the others arrived. I didn't know how much blood she lost but from the looks of it, it was a lot. I've never seen such an act of helplessness in a person. I didn't know what to do for her. I didn't know how to help her, because deep down, I wanted to help Sakura. I wanted her to be okay.

* * *

**Well people. This is probably going to be the longest chapter I ever type. Not that I didn't enjoy it because I did. Very actionpactified. Sorry I couldn't update yesterday. K was over my house and I didn't have time to type. I love you all and I'll see you in two weeks.**

**P.S: Tell me what you liked the most in this chapter! **

-**Jazz Out**


	5. Chapter 5

**Dedicated to: Every single person who took his or her time to review. **

**I'm actually kind of shocked that this story is so popular. I remember the first time I actually started writing for this story. It was a Tuesday, probably eleven or twelve in the morning; I was bored as hell and even though I was supposed to be asleep for school, I wasn't tired. To tell you the truth, I didn't plan on making this a story. But look at me now!**

**And for those who were scared out of their pretty little minds when I posted the '**_**Announcement'**_**, I apologize. It was meant to scare you but not to make you cry. ;D. And they said humor never killed anybody…**

**Enough talking: here is the next chapter.**

**WARNING****: Just kidding this time. There is no warning.**

_Chocolate Roses_

**Chapter 5**

What kind of guardian am I? Guardians were supposed to protect the people he or she was assigned to, yet Sakura was laying, non-moving in a hospital bed. Kakashi called Tsunade before we arrived at the hospital. She decided to take care of Sakura herself since she knew more about her than the other doctors.

"Her injuries will heal. We have the medical vampires working on her broken arm and the gash on her stomach. Normally she would need stitches, but that can be fixed without showing any sign that it was there in the first place. The blood loss is what I'm worried about. I am surprised she made it before you got here." Tsunade told us. "To think this girl is only human…. Sasuke." I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at the woman before me.

"What?"

"You did well." She smiled. I scoffed mentally. She knew damned well I failed. "You said she was afraid of blood, ne?"

I nodded and Tsunade sighed. "She's going to be mentally scarred. I know it. When you're around her, be sure to be gentle and cautious." We all nodded. Tsunade had a fear of blood a while back, so whatever she explained to us had to be right. That and the fact she was a doctor.

Naruto sighed. "What about her friends? They're going to want to know what happened since she left her phone."

"You're smart…most of the time. Think something up and tell Sakura about it so she's in on it." Tsunade sighed again. "Damn this is crazy. This girl… I'm still trying to figure out why so many vampires are after her."

"Maybe it's the blood." Neji said.

"No. It's been three vampire attacks on her already, not including the ones with The Akatsuki. Surely there has to be a _real_ reason."

I noticed Tsunade didn't count me as one of the ones who attacked Sakura but I agreed. Sakura was going through too much. I could really care less about how she really felt, but as my job, I was supposed to take care of her. "When will she be discharged?" Sai asked with a bored tone.

"Ah… probably tomorrow or the day after. But she may wake up sooner."

I glanced at the sleeping Sakura. "Kakashi, I'm staying over night." I said.

Kakashi and Naruto looked at me skeptically. "Fine with me. We're going to go back over to the orphanage so we'll see you tomorrow." After Kakashi and the others left, I snuck in Sakura's room. Visiting hours were over and only family was allowed in. And I _was_ her brother. I sat in a chair that was comfortable and stared at Sakura.

**Why **_**was**_** she so popular among vampires?**

I had to admit she was exceedingly cute, almost beautiful in my eyes, but when it came to blood, vampires didn't care what their victims looked like. Maybe Neji was right when he said it was because of the blood. None of them have tried her blood, but if they did they might come to a better understanding. She tasted amazing, one of a kind. Maybe they were sniffing her out; maybe she was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

A doctor walked in the room, smiled at me and started working on Sakura. The young woman gave her several shots and checked the heart monitor that was beeping slower than it should have been.

"Is this girl your sister?" It sounded weird when she asked the question, but I nodded. "You're a lucky boy. She sure is a fighter. She should've been dead." I scowled at the ground. Maybe this nurse was new because what she was saying wasn't exactly comforting. What if Sakura did die? I didn't even want to think of the possibilities. Naruto would kill me since it seemed he had a little thing for Sakura, and her friends would be devastated. I almost shivered at the thought of going to Sakura's funeral. That would not be a pretty sight.

"I know." Was what I replied. The nurse kept talking, but I wasn't listening to a thing she was saying.

Sakura looked too peaceful while she was asleep. I've never seen her look calm or peaceful while she was still conscious. She always looked pensive…as if she was waiting for something.

**Like me.**

She was lost and confused. She didn't know what to do when she was needed, but when she was on her own, things came to her naturally. I was able to compare Sakura to an eclipse. She rarely showed whom she really was deep down, but when she did it was something special. It was something worth remembering; something you had to remember. I was able to say that I'd seen Sakura's true side. She was truly always frustrated, angry and scared, but it always had something to do with me when I saw it. She was scared when I bit her, frustrated when I kissed her and angry when she was confronted by a certain group of girls.

Sakura found it hard to trust people. I didn't know what, but something happened to her that made it hard for her to trust people. I understood how she felt. I was willing to help her. I was willing to make her trust me; and maybe in the process, I could learn to trust other people as well.

I looked up just in time to see the doctor leave the room. I wondered if Sakura got over her fear of blood. What Tylar did didn't help her situation. He only made it worse. Maybe I could help her with that too. I had to make up for what I did. I was supposed to protect her, and it pissed me off that I didn't. I heard Sakura whisper something that even I couldn't catch. An oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose, so I couldn't make out a thing she said.

I leaned in closer and waited for her to speak again.

"T-Ty…lar." She whispered again. Sweat appeared on her forehead. I didn't know what to do. She was having a nightmare. "Sa-Sas…uke. H-Help." The heart monitor beside her bed started beeping rapidly and out of control. I shook Sakura's shoulder softly and waited for her to wake up. I took the oxygen mask off of her and heard her gasp loudly. Sakura's jade eyes opened at a snail's pace. She closed them back again and there was a long pause. I didn't think she was going to open them again until she did. She quickly shot up and knocked her large forehead against mine.

"Ow…" she whispered, touching her forehead. I didn't exactly feel anything, but my forehead felt warm where she hit it. There was a red mark on her forehead. "What's going on?" she asked looking around.

"What?"

"Why am I here?" Sakura looked at me with twinkling, confused eyes.

"You mean you don't remember?" she was just dreaming about what happened not too long ago. Was it possible she was suffering from amnesia so suddenly?

Sakura shook her head. "I remember going to the orphanage then walking a little bit. Then Tylar started walking with me. Where is he any way?" her voice was quiet but held a little confusion. I didn't know what to do once again. Should I tell her what happened and tear her apart? Or should I keep it from her and face the consequences later?

"He's…out."

"Out where. I wanna talk to him. Maybe he knows what happened, unless you know. What happened?"

"You, uh," Sakura cocked her head to the side. "passed out."

"I did? Well it was hot outside." Sakura sat up further and winced. "Man." She clutched her stomach and closed her eyes. Sakura lifted up her paper gown under her covers and gasped.

"Sasuke?"

"Yes?"

"Why…why am I bleeding?" Sakura was scared, but she wasn't hyperventilating or screaming or crying. She was just scared.

Come on Sasuke. Think! "You fell down a hill when you passed out. You were only supposed to only walk for a little bit, but Tylar showed up and you wandered off. Then you passed out and fell. I think the doctor said you broke your arm and cut your stomach."

Sakura paused. "Oh. Well why don't I remember anything?"

"I don't know. I don't know if it's temporary or not."

Sakura sighed and plopped back on the bed. "This stinks. I can't remember anything!"

"Sakura?"

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you afraid of blood?"

"Me? No, why?"

"…no reason. Forget it." She didn't remember the events that occurred earlier today, and she lost her fear for blood."

"Apparently that isn't going to be too hard." Sakura yawned. "Are you staying all night?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." She yawned again.

"You can go to sleep Sakura. I'll still be here when you wake up."

Sakura groaned. "I don't feel like it. I'm not really tired. Just bored."

"I don't have anything for you to do."

"I know. That's why I don't like hospitals. They are depressing and boring." Sakura yawned for the third time since waking up.

"Go to bed."

"Bu-"

"Sakura." I had an edge to my voice. She sighed and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Goodnight." She said softly.

"Night." There was silence for almost twenty minutes until Sakura's voice rang out.

"Sasuke?"

"Yes Sakura."

"I'm not sleepy."

"Well close your eyes." I sighed.

"I tried that already." She rolled over and looked at me. She had a playful look on her face. "Let's do something." I arched an eyebrow. I was wondering if the doctors gave her the wrong kind of medicine to make her like this.

"Like?"

"I dunno. A game?"

"…you're in the hospital."

"All the more reason. Are you up for it?"

"No. That's for children."

"Come _on_. You have to have a game I can play without me getting up." Sakura grinned while looking at me expectantly.

"Yeah, I do actually. It's the be-quiet-and-go-to-bed game. It's really exciting, try it."

Sakura frowned. "I've never heard of that game." She giggled but I shook my head.

"Why are you so giddy all of a sudden?"

"Who knows? But I'm really bored. Think Mr. Uchiha. I won't go to bed anytime soon ya know."

"You're stubborn."

"I know." I think I was seeing another side of Sakura; a playful, happy, fun side of Sakura. Maybe even a little annoying, but I liked it.

"Fine. What's it going to take, besides playing a game?" Sakura racked her brain then shrugged. I sighed then walked over to her bed and climbed in.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked. I didn't lay too close to Sakura, but I was close enough so when she rolled over, I was looking her in the eye.

"Getting you to go to sleep. We'll just talk until you get tired."

"Okay." Sakura smiled and blinked. There was an awkward silence. "Am I supposed to go first?"

"Hold on, I'm thinking." I lied. I really wanted her to go first because I didn't know what to talk about. "Is that your natural hair color?" I finally asked. I bet I sounded like an idiot.

Sakura giggled. Idiot it was then. "It is. How'd you get your hair to do that spiky thing?"

"My hair?" I involuntarily reached up and touched my hair. Sakura nodded. "I don't know. It's natural I guess."

Sakura then burst out laughing. "What?" I asked her.

"Your hair…it's funny… looking!" she said in between laughs. She fingered my hair and I let her. I didn't see any humor in the subject, but I went along with it. Sakura moved her hand and looked at me. Her laughing stopped and she looked at me seriously. Then I looked back at her.

I was getting that damned feeling again…the feeling to kiss her. Just the look on her face, and her happy attitude…and how vulnerable she was at the moment made me want to kiss her. I didn't like her or anything, but somewhere deep inside me, I was having an uncontrollable urge. Vampire hormones I suspected.

Sakura was blushing nervously when I realized my face was inches from hers. I pulled back and looked away.

"Sorry." I muttered. I could still feel Sakura's eyes on me.

"Are you embarrassed?" she asked me scooting closer so she could see my face. She gasped. "Yeah, you are! That's classic; Sasuke Uchiha gets embarrassed, I can see it now!" Sakura was laughing again. I admit it was a slightly uncomfortable moment, but nothing worth spazzing out over.

"Sakura…" she didn't hear me.

"Oh my gosh!" Sakura continued. I rolled my eyes and rolled on top of her, clasping her wrists and stopping her hysterical laughter, earning a loud, unattractive _'eep' _from her.

"Now then." I said almost triumphantly. "It's my turn for questions. Do you forgive me for everything I've done to you?" that, in my opinion, was a good question. She told me she forgave me before she passed out, but she didn't remember anything that happened, yet she was playing and fooling around with me.

"Yeah. Of course I do. You saved my life back at the waterfall after all." Sakura let a smile stumble upon her adorned face. I nodded. Sakura frowned.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. It's your question."

"Well for one thing, why are you still holding my wrists?"

I completely forgot about the position we were in, and if a doctor were to walk in here and catch the two of us, it would be hard to explain. I rolled off of her and waited for her question.

"Well?" I asked.

"Oh, well…why…is my hair shorter?" Sakura ran fingers through her hair and frowned.

"I don't know. I think the doctor's had to do it."

"Was my fall really serious?"

I nodded. "You lost a lot of blood." Sakura shivered.

"Oh." She whispered. I placed a hand on her shoulder.

"There isn't anything to worry about now." I assured her. I was lying. Her memory-loss was serious.

"Are you sure?" her eyes showed how scared she was.

"Positive."

"Promise?"

I sighed. "Promise."

"Thank you."

"Sakura. You just asked me four questions."

"Oops. Sorry, I'm a curious person."

"That I know."

"Do you mind if I ask you another question?"

"You just did." I smirked at her.

"I know…you know what I mean!"

"Go ahead."

Sakura paused before she spoke. "Are you being nice to me because of your job or because you really want to? Do you actually care about me?"

"That's two questions." I pointed out. Sakura looked up at me with a serious expression.

"Sasuke."

I sighed. "My job. I can't get you to trust me if I'm being unkind."

"You want me to trust you?" I nodded. "I…I don't know how to do that. I'm scared to trust someone again. I'm sorry." Sakura put her head facedown in her pillow and grunted loudly.

"What happened to keep you trusting people?" Sakura muttered something in her pillow but her words were muffled.

"Lift your head up, I can't understand what you're saying." Sakura looked at me and sighed.

"A long time ago when I was thirteen, there was this guy I met at a party. I thought he was really cool so I hung out with him. We were in a room for a long time just talking. But the day after that, my friend was yelling and screaming at me. When I asked her what her problem was, she called me a tramp and a whore for sleeping with her boyfriend. When I asked whom she was talking about, she gestured towards the guy I was hanging out with. He told her I slept with him, and when I confronted him about it, he didn't say anything in my defense. So I went through the entire school year being labeled." Sakura smiled and shook her head.

"Then my father found out about the entire thing. He didn't know I was going to a party that day. I said I was just studying with friends, and he trusted me enough to let me go ahead. When he got a phone call, he was furious. He never trusted me after that. He never believed me when I told him I didn't do anything unheard of with that boy. My mother didn't know whom to believe so she stayed out of it. I guess I expected my parents to have a little more trust in me and believe I wouldn't do anything like that. So I couldn't trust them, or my friends; even the people in the school who knew me, even know I didn't know them. I couldn't trust anybody."

Sakura sighed and screamed in her pillow. I couldn't say I knew how she fault. Her story was full of girl issues, but if it kept her from trusting me, I had to do something.

I called Sakura's name and when she looked up, I sighed and forced a small smile. Sakura gasped. "If you trust me, I promise not to sleep with your boyfriend." Sakura giggled and looked away from me.

"That isn't fair. I don't feel like laughing right now."

"Sorry."

"You smiled." Sakura said with unexpected excitement and happiness in her voice

"What?" I asked.

"You just smiled again. Sasuke…I really like it when you smile." I return, Sakura smiled at me. "I never thanked you the right way when you saved me at the falls. I could've died if it wasn't for you."

I shrugged. "You already thanked me. You don't have to-" Sakura leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"You know Sasuke, I've realized that you aren't really a bad person after all. I think I might actually start to like you." Sakura gave a charming smile then scooted under the covers just in time to miss the blush that was on my cheeks. I wrinkled my nose. Ugh. Why did I do that? Sakura sighed one more time and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight Sasuke. Really this time." I smirked again and nodded even thought she couldn't see me. "Goodnight."

Dammit Sakura. Why do you have to be so cute!

**Voila! There was a little SasuXSaku action going on. But before you ask, they don't like each other yet. YET! Trust me, it's going to happen, I promise. Don't kill me cuz I know this chapter was short. But I don't know what to write next, I'm sleepy and i really want to put this up. I can't even say the next chapter is going to be longer. But I'll try and do one final long chapter. I'll also try and do another in a few days. Damn...school's starting soon and I want to cry so badly. So I'm updating as much as possible. I also put my one shot up so check it out. It's called Makeup Sex. One last thing. People are saying that this story reminds them of Twilight. I didn't mean for that to happen, but I did want to refer to the whole forbidden love thing. So sorry if you don't like it! See you soon!**

**-Jazz Out**


	6. Chapter 6

**Dedicated to: My awesomlicious reviewers. And to, ****Romance is Me**** for being my 200****th**** reviewer. Is it just me or am I really starting to like this story?**

**WARNING****: You may like this chapter. I warned you! Also,**

**READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE BOTTOM. VERY IMPORTANT!**

_Chocolate Roses_

**Chapter 6**

Somewhere in between Sakura's slumber, she was talking in her sleep. It sounded like she was saying.

"Gimme my food." Sakura's mouth was wide open and she was drooling. I couldn't help but chuckle at her. I had to be at least one in the morning and I was wide-awake. I continued watching her when she rolled over so she was facing me. Then I felt her hands grasp my shirt. "You…stole it." Then she moved closer and wrapped her arms around my waist. "You smell nice…" Sakura cuddled closer to me, sighed and went back to sleep. How was I supposed to go back to sleep when Sakura was all over me? She was warm though and she was finally sleeping soundly.

Without any other thought, I went back to sleep.

**:**

When I awoke up, Sakura was still sleeping quietly. The clock on the wall in front of me read six A.M.

"Sakura." I shook Sakura but she groaned.

"Not…now." She muttered still trying her best to go to sleep.

"Come on. It's time to get up." I got out of the bed and took the covers off of her. She quickly snatched them back.

"I'm a patient. I get to s-sleep when I want." Sakura buried her head in her pillow and pulled the covers over her head.

"Fine. I'll just leave now." I started waking out the door but Sakura stopped me.

"Okay. Fine I'm up." Sakura sat up in her bed and scratched the back of her head. "Are you still leaving?" their was some sadness in her small voice. She didn't want to be alone.

"No. I'm just going to go get a doctor." I walked down the hall to the front desk and called for the doctor that worked for Sakura.

"She'll be with you in a second." I waited patiently for the nurse from yesterday. When she came out of a room, she smiled at me.

"Can I help you?"

"When can Sakura be discharged?"

"It depends on how her tests go."

"She's lost her memory. She doesn't remember anything that happened to get her where she is." The doctor wrinkled her nose.

"I'm sure it is temporary. But I'll run some test to make sure." I followed the doctor back to Sakura's room, but I stopped her before we entered.

"I lied to her about what really happened. She fell down a hill and you had to cut her hair. And she isn't afraid of blood anymore." The doctor paused but nodded.

"Good morning Sakura." She greeted to cheerfully. "I'm Ms. Kala, your nurse."

"Good morning." Sakura greeted back. The nurse turned to me and smiled.

"I'm going to have to tell you to wait outside. I won't be long. Okay?" I turned away and sat in a chair outside the room. The nurse was in the room for what seemed like forever. _'I won't be long' _my ass. Finally she left the room and smiled at me again.

"Sakura can leave when she wishes. For her memory loss, it's bad, but I don't know when she'll remember again. It may be temporary or permanent. Just watch her and make sure she doesn't get herself in trouble." I nodded and walked in the room. Sakura was humming to herself while looking out the window.

"So can I leave?" she asked when she saw me.

"Yeah."

"Finally!" Sakura let out a sigh of relief and swung her legs over the bed and attempted to stand, but she winced and almost fell. I caught her before she hit the ground.

"Stop being so reckless. Just take it easy." I told her helping her back up.

"Fine." Sakura looked at me and smiled. "Thank you." I nodded.

"Your clothes are over there. I'll walk you home."

"Okay. I'll let you know when I'm finished." I walked out of the room and waited once again. Sakura knocked on the door when she was finished and I walked in. She was sitting on the bed swinging her feet back and forth. She yawned and glared at me. "You should have let me sleep."

"I was."

"But you were going to leave. I didn't want to be alone."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Someone was telling me I shouldn't be alone. It was a voice inside my head, you know?"

I nodded even though I didn't know what she was talking about.

"She said that the last time I was alone, something really bad happened. I didn't know what she was talking about though. Maybe it was the fall." Sakura shrugged.

"Come on." I grabbed my jacket off the chair I was sitting on, then grabbed Sakura's hand and led her out the room. After checking in with the secretary at the front desk, we were free to go.

"I feels like forever since I've been outside." Sakura sighed happily. It was unusually cold today. Sakura shivered, so I took off my black leather jacket and gave it to Sakura.

"Thanks."

The walk was quiet for the longest time, except for the small conversations that lasted ten seconds.

"Hey Sasuke?"

"What?" Sakura looked up at the sky, then at me.

"If you didn't have the job of my guardian; if we were just normal people who didn't know each other, would you still care about me? Just as a person."

"Haven't we been through this?"

"I know. But…" Sakura looked at her feet. "I just think it would be weird if you were only hanging out with me because of your job. I'd rather you do so because you actually want to."

"It's my job to protect you. If I was ever relieved of my duties, I would still talk to you."

"So you would be my friend?"

"I guess." Sakura smiled and stopped walking, peering into the alley we were next to.

"Hey, do you hear that?" she asked. I heard it long before we reached the alley. It was a mewling noise, but I chose to ignore it.

"Yeah." Sakura ran in the small, dark space and squealed.

"Sasuke! It's a kitten!" I sighed and walked in the alley. Sakura was crouched on her feet and was sticking her hand in a box. On it said '_Kittens'_. "Ouch." I hear Sakura whisper. The kitten was hissing and backing away from her, occasionally swiping at her hand. "Hold on sweetie. I'm not going to hurt you." She cooed with a sweet voice.

"Sakura." I tried to get her attention but she continued sweet-talking the feline. Finally after about ten minutes, Sakura pulled her out. The cat was a deep black color with wide green eyes, and indeed a kitten. She was still mewling but she stopped swiping at Sakura.

"Isn't she cute?" Sakura smiled. "Can I keep her?"

"It's a lot of work Sakura. She would probably get lost in the mansion."

"I can keep her in my room. Oh, she's too adorable. I want to keep her so badly."

I sighed and squeezed the bridge of my nose. "Fine Sakura. Just make sure-" Sakura threw an arm around me.

"Thank you soo much! I promise I'll take care of her, but…what about Kakashi-san? Do you think it would be okay with him if I kept her?"

I sighed again. "Kakashi loves animals. I'm positive he won't mind. It's really early and the others are probably at school by now, but we can go by her some stuff. I think there's an extra room next to yours so we can make it a room for her."

"Sasuke, you're amazing!"

"Ok. What are you going to call her?"

Sakura pursed her lips. "Uh…um, how about… I dunno." Sakura grinned and looked at me. "I have nothing. Do you have any ideas?" Sakura left the alley and I followed her.

"Nope." I said bluntly.

"You're such a help. Okay…how about…I got it! Midnight. Midnight is perfect!" when the kitten heard Sakura shout she mewled and sneezed.

"Bless you. See Sasuke, it's a sign. Come on! We have to get home." Sakura placed Midnight in my jacket, grabbed my hand and practically pulled me towards the mansion's direction. I take it Sakura liked cats.

**: **

When we reached the mansion, Sakura, as much to her dismay, gave me Midnight to hold while she took a shower. When she came out, she was wearing a red and black floral mini dress with black flat shoes. She had a black sweater in her hand for just-in-case. Her hair was pulled in two small pigtails on either side of her head to the front. She looked… astounding.

"Come on slow poke! Get your shower." Sakura took Midnight from me and pushed me to the room. "Hurry." She said in a singsong voice, and then closed the door behind her. I got my shower and changed into dark, faded jeans and a black button-up and black tennis shoes. I went outside and found Sakura sprawled on the love seat with Midnight in her lap. Midnight was playing with Sakura's necklace of an angel. When I got a closer look, I noticed that Sakura was asleep. I smirked and went up to her. I knew her newfound energy would wear off sooner or later. I shook her shoulders, but Midnight jumped and mewled at me. I scratched the back of her neck and continued shaking Sakura.

"Hello…are you alive over here? Come on Sakura. Shopping time." Sakura opened her eyes and blinked.

"Oops. Sorry."

"Never mind that. Come." She picked Midnight up and followed me out of the mansion. This was going to be a long day.

**:**

We went to the vet first to make sure Midnight didn't belong to someone, and to give her shots she would need. The vet gave Midnight a bath, shots, and told us how old she was.

"She's only around two weeks old." He'd said. The vet also said Midnight was a healthy kitten, and that made Sakura all the more happier.

After that, we went to a pet store. It smelled like animal. There were also pet owners scrambling around with their pets in hand, or in cages.

"Sasuke. I think there is an cat section over here." Sakura said, running to the back of the store. There was. Sakura threw almost everything cat related in the basket. I heard Midnight purring towards something that was at the top of a tower for cat displays. When Sakura placed her down, she scurried to a cave, and when she emerged, she had a catnip filled mouse in her mouth.

"Do you have that in the basket?" I asked her.

"I do now." She smiled and threw a box of catnip in the basket. "Do you think the kitty tower costs too much?" Sakura looked at me. I glanced at the price that had 169.00. "No, it's fine." Sakura nodded and picked up the giant object, attempting to put it in the basket, but she nearly tipped over.

"Uh-oh." She said. I grabbed the box from you and placed it in the basket.

"It isn't that heavy Sakura."

"Says you vampire man." Sakura smirked at me and picked Midnight up again. She was reluctant to leave the catnip, but Sakura pet her a few times and she calmed down. Midnight had all the toys she would need for a lifetime, so now all we needed was food for her.

"Okay. I got it." Sakura placed two big bags of cat food in the basket and sighed. "We're all done."

I shook my head. "Not just yet."

"What did I forget?" Sakura asked.

"The most important thing of course. A collar might be needed."

"Oh!" Sakura ran away from me and returned with a dark green collar.

"I think you can get them engraved over there." I pointed to a section of to the side.

"Kay. Be right back." I watched Sakura run excitedly over to where I pointed with Midnight in her hands. She looked like a child whom was just getting her pet, not a sixteen year old. She was talking to a too-cheery woman behind a bar. I immediately noticed she was a vampire. Sakura handed the woman the green collar and began filling out a form. I took the basket of cat items to the checkout counter and paid for them. The process of getting the collar engraved and on the hyper Midnight was a task, but when Sakura ran up to me she frowned.

"You paid for everything?" I nodded and shrugged. "I could've helped. I have money."

"It's not a problem. I paid for it, it's over." Sakura sighed and walked with me to my car. After I loaded the stuff in the car, I hopped in the front seat with Sakura.

"So all we have to do now is get that room next to yours and dump this stuff off."

"Okay. Do you mind if I go to sleep?" She asked me quietly.

I shook my head. "Go ahead." Sakura nodded and closed her eyes. Midnight sat in Sakura's lap and closed her eyes as well. Hell, even I wanted to go to sleep. But I was too busy wondering why Sakura was sleeping so much. Maybe she's…no it couldn't be. She couldn't become a vampire. But…two different people bit her, and they both drew large amounts of blood. It was possible she was just feeling the effects of the blood loss; but it was also possible she was feeling the effects of changing into a vampire. I had to talk to Kakashi about it. I stopped the car and placed the back of my hand on her forehead. She wasn't sweating and she didn't have a fever. Good.

I started driving back to the mansion, but this time, I didn't wake Sakura up. I picked Midnight, who mewled at me, and carried her to her new room. Then I went back and grabbed Sakura out of the car. I then carried her to _her _room and placed her on her bed. I was being the nice person and I put Midnight's room together, throwing her catnip before I got started. The tower was easy to put up so I did that first. After I finished her room, which only took an hour, I set aside some food for Midnight. She must have been hungry because I had to refill the bowl within seconds. Sakura wandered in the room and gasped.

"You did all of this?" I looked around the room. I had to admit I was impressed with myself, but I just shrugged at Sakura. "It looks amazing!" Sakura knelt down as Midnight trotted up to her.

"I guess." I said straightforward.

"Wow. Midnight is going to love it here." Sakura let Midnight go and watched her run around the room. She giggled when Midnight started wrestling with the catnip again. "I think that stuff is making her grow crazy."

"Sakura."

"Hm?"

"How do you feel?"

"What do you mean? Like, am I sick or something?"

"Yeah."

"I don't know. I'm just really sleepy." Sakura pursed her lips. "And I have a little headache, but it's no big deal. Why?"

I hesitated. "Anything weird going on? Like…cravings or something?"

"Food cravings?" I nodded. If she was changing, the cravings could consist of anything until contact with blood. Sakura smiled. "Ice cream. I want some ice cream, come on." Sakura grabbed my hand and led me out of Midnight's room. When I closed the door behind myself, I followed Sakura to my car.

"Sakura, I don't want ice cream." I told her.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I don't like sweets." Sakura gasped in disbelief.

"You don't like sweets? That's crazy!" I shrugged. "At least try it! Please?" Sakura pouted.

I sighed and got in the car. "Does that mean yes?" Sakura asked, getting into the car as well.

"No. That means I'll watch you eat."

"You're no fun. What about when you were a child? Did you like sweets then?"

"They were okay. I didn't eat them a lot."

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "You really _aren't _human. What about the others? Do they like sweets?"

I started driving. "Naruto does, Shikamaru doesn't eat them a lot, Neji doesn't and I've never seen Sai eat them."

"Oh…I still think you're a little weird."

"What about Neji?"

"I like Neji so he isn't weird."

"You don't like me?"

"I didn't say that…" Sakura looked away.

"So you do like me." I stated more than questioned. Sakura blushed. I always was one for embarrassing people.

"Um, yeah sure I do. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"The only way I'll get sleep to night is if you don't sleep next to me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You talk in your sleep." Sakura blushed and turned to me.

"I do not!" I nodded and smirked.

"You don't want me to show you what you sound like. Last night you said I stole your food."

"I don't talk in my sleep. You're lying." Sakura glared at me.

"There's no reason to get mad at me. At least you don't snore. But you drool." I said that last part under my breath, but I said it loud enough so Sakura could here me. She gasped.

"Ugh…that's embarrassing." She covered her face with her hands and groaned.

"You can always go watch Naruto while he's asleep. It'll make you feel a lot better."

"Why Naruto-kun?"

"I would _never _sleep in the same room as him. You can't cut my arms and legs off to make me either. He snores, drools, kicks, punches…he's the hole package." I said, my expression never changing from it's usual, serious one.

"Is he really that bad?"

"I know from experience."

"Oh…"

"But if I had a choice, I'd sleep with you any day." Sakura blushed again and looked out the window.

"I-I thought we were getting ice cream?" Sakura said.

"I'm taking you to a restaurant to get some real food. Ice cream is for dessert."

Sakura turned to me and frowned. "You're acting like my parent."

"That's my job. Does it make you happier if I said I'll," I sighed and continued. "try the ice cream?"

Sakura's face lightened up. "Of course it does! Come _on_." Sakura quickly hopped out of the car. "I promise you won't be disappointed!" I wished I believed that.

**:**

After ordering our food, we sat in a comfortable silence.

"Sasuke?" Sakura finally asked.

"Yeah?"

"Is this…like…a-a date?" Sakura stammered. Her question surprised me, so I shrugged my shoulders.

"You can call it that, or a friendly gathering between two friends."

"Friends…" Sakura smiled brightly. "I like that."

**And here you go everyone. This is a terribly short chapter, but surprisingly, it was hard to write. I was trying my best to keep Sasuke in character, so during this chapter if you find yourself saying, '**_**Sasuke would never do that you stupid writer!' **_**I don't blame you. Anyway, I'll leave some choices on what I should do next. I'll just go with what you pick the most.**

_**1.)Sasuke and Sakura continue their 'friendly gathering between two friends'.**_

_**2.)They meet back up with Naruto and the others.**_

_**3.)It skips to them back at school and there is a confrontation from a group of bitches (Guess who.).**_

_**4.)Something unexpected happens which involves either:**_

_** a.)Kiss (a real one).**_

_** b.)Sakura's a vampire indeed.**_

_** c.)Other…**_

**Well those are your choices. Sorry if the choices are hard to pick, but if I get two that were really wanted, I'll pick one for the next chapter and the other for after that. Have fun picking!**

**-Jazz Out**


	7. Chapter 7

**Dedicated to: Everyone who reviewed with choices. That was probably the hardest thing I've ever done. The choices I chose will be displayed in the chapter.**

**WARNING****: Hi**

_Chocolate Roses_

**Chapter 7**

Sasuke and Sakura ate in a peaceful silence. Sakura thought his company was comforting, even though he hadn't said a word since they ordered. She ordered a Caesar salad and a Sprite, while Sasuke got steak and water. Even though she didn't want Sasuke to, he paid for the meal, but decided to go along with it and not argue. Guys seemed to have a thing for paying for the meals. Sakura never knew Sasuke could be so…fun to hang out with. He was actually nice towards her, even though she knew deep down it was because of his duty. Sakura just hoped he actually liked her just for her.

The two hopped in the car and Sasuke started driving. "Where are we going now?" Sakura asked. Her phone read 12:41. It was still early, and the day was just starting.

Sasuke clicked his tongue. "Don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Ice cream." Sakura stated the obvious. Sasuke sighed. _'Is that all she wants?' _Sasuke thought.

"Later."

"Fine. Can we go to the bookstore?" Sasuke nodded.

"That's fine." Sasuke pulled up to a Barnes and Noble and sighed. "Is there a book in particular you want from here?"

Sakura shook my head. "I just thought I would look for a couple of books, that's all. I haven't read in ages."

"Okay then come on." Sasuke got out the car and followed the girl in the store. She immediately went to the back of the store since most of the books she wanted to read were there. Sasuke went to sit at the café while watching Sakura keenly. Sakura found her section, grabbed a random book and sat in an abandoned corner. Sakura opened the cover to the front page, but stopped when the phone in her pocket vibrated. When she flipped it opened, the screen read 47 new messages, all from her worried friends. Sakura opened the most recent one and sighed.

**SAKURAAAA! I'M GOING OUT OF MY MIND HERE. JUST GIVE US SOME KIND OF NOTICE THAT YOU'RE ALIVE (ANSWER YOUR PHONE)! I'M SCARED, AND CONFUSED. YET KAKASHI IS STANDING IN FRONT OF ME TELLING ME 2+2 IS 4, AND NARUTO IS DOODLING ON HIS HOMEWORK. WHERE ARE YOU!!**

**-INO**

Sakura told Ino she was in the hospital.

**WHAT!! WHY? OMFG!**

**-INO**

_**I FELL AND WHEN I AWOKE I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL. SORRY FOR MAKING YOU WORRY INO.**_

_**-SAKURA**_

**IT'S SOO OKAY. OH CRAP. KAKASHI IS LOOKING AT ME. LUV YOU BYE!**

**-INO**

Sakura smiled and went through the rest of her messages. They all said pretty much the same thing so she deleted them all. Before Sakura closed her Helio, she went through her recent calls. Maybe Tylar called her. He didn't. She went to her dialed calls and saw a number she didn't recognize. 8…7…3…1. That was a piece of Sasuke's number. Suddenly, pictures flashed through her head. Sakura was sitting on the grass before she went for a small walk several feet away from the orphanage when Tylar came up to her. He said hi and Sakura replied. Then he was angry. He wanted to know why she didn't call him, Sakura didn't answer so he grabbed her by her arm. She tried her best to dial Sasuke's number but Tylar threw the phone from her hand. '_That wasn't what Sasuke told me.' _Sakura thought confused. She dialed Tylar's number and sighed.

'_You've reached Tylar. I'm not in right now but I really don't want to answer. Call me back later.' _ All she got was Tylar's voicemail. Sakura quickly dropped the book she was holding and got up. Sasuke had to know what was going on. He wasn't at the café anymore.

"Sasuke?" Sakura whispered quietly to herself. Sakura frantically looked around the store and couldn't find him. "Sasuke!" She said a little louder. Sakura was getting so scared, and she didn't know why. The phone in her hand was being clutched so hard; she thought it was going to snap in half. "Sasuke!" Sakura felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped while turning around. It was a redheaded boy. He had blue eyes that were filled with worry.

"Hey, are you okay? Who are you looking for?" he sounded like him. He sounded like…

"Tylar?"

"Who? Is that who you're looking for?" Tylar… he was pulling her to a house.

"What are you doing?" Sakura whispered. He led her down the stairs to a dark room. "I don't want to be down here."

"Hey, what's wrong?" the boy touched my shoulders and she jumped again.

"Get away from me." Tylar tied Sakura up. Sakura's unshed tears were falling now.

"Sakura!" A voice rang through the crowd that was forming. Sakura's head snapped up and noticed all the people staring around her. Sasuke was among them. He approached her, but stayed put. Tylar bit and tortured her. And Sasuke, the one she actually started to trust and like, lied to her.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" Sasuke pushed the other boy out of the way and stopped in front of the crying girl. "Sakura, look at me." Sasuke told her. He was ready to murder the redheaded kid behind him since he only saw her crying when he was with her. Sakura's head shook. "Look at me." He said again, more demanding. Sakura slowly but reluctantly glanced up at him. "Tell me what happened."

"You lied to me." She finally whispered.

"What?"

"Sasuke…you didn't tell me what Tylar really did. Y-You lied. To me." Sasuke sighed. _'I should've known it wouldn't last long.'_

"Come on." He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the store so they were standing in the parking lot.

"Why?" The cherry haired girl asked once she knew they were alone.

"I didn't want you to be hurt."

"What?"

"You didn't remember anything that happened with Tylar, so I didn't want you to put up with it. I didn't want you to suffer." Sasuke said truthfully.

"You didn't?" Sakura wasn't too sure of his answer. Sasuke nodded. "Where is he? Where's Tylar?"

"He's dead."

Eyes widened. "W-What? You killed him?" Sasuke nodded again. "No…"

"Sakura, I had to. He threatened your life, so I had to make sure he couldn't do it again."

"B-But…you could have told Kakashi or something. You didn't have to kill him. I didn't want you to kill him!" she cried. Sasuke enveloped the girl in a gentle embrace.

"I'm sorry." He said delicately while she cried in his chest; too much was happening, all at once. Tylar was dead. Sasuke lied to her to make sure she was content. Maybe…maybe Sasuke did care about her. Just for her.

Sasuke pulled Sakura back and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. "Are you done crying?" he asked. She wasn't actually, but when he pulled her back, she found myself stopping. Sakura mustered a nod looked at her black shoes, averting her jade eyes from Sasuke. Sasuke slipped his hand under her chin and made her look at him. Sakura stubbornly looked away again, but Sasuke spoke.

"You need to know that I'm sorry. If I knew you didn't want Tylar dead, I would've just handed him over to Kakashi. I just acted on impulse and I apologize."

"Okay. T-Thank you Sasuke." Sakura looked up at him and saw how close they were. Our faces were so close. She could feel a blush rise to her already red cheeks when she saw him moving closer to her.

'_Am I really going to do it?' _Sasuke asked himself. _'Am I going to kiss her?' _

' _He was going to kiss me this time. He wasn't going to stop himself and pull back. But if I back out, I'll make him look bad, and if I kiss him I'll make myself look like I like him ' _Sakura thought, afraid.

Their faces were inches apart…

'_Maybe…just this once…'_

Then their lips were nearly touching. Sasuke's eyes closed, then Sakura's…

'_I would kiss her back…'_

'_I would kiss him back…'_

It started out sweet and tender. Sakura could feel his soft lips melding into hers. She could sense every movement he made. Then, Sasuke began putting pressure onto her. But there was an electrical shock that shot through both of their bodies that excited them, and made them want more. Sasuke put pressure against Sakura's bruised lips and heard her moan. Sakura's back was against a wall now, and Sasuke's hands rested on the wall on either side of Sakura. They were both losing their breath, but neither of them wanted to stop.

'_Sakura.'_

'_Sasuke' _Sakura was the first to pull back. Her pale face was flushed with embarrassment, and her sea green eyes twinkled. Sasuke's face held no expression, but inside, he was perplexed.

'_Shit. I kissed her. I'm not supposed to do that! Now I'm probably giving her the wrong idea.' _Sasuke settled on turning away from Sakura and walking to the car. Sakura stared after Sasuke and touched her bruised lips.

'_Oh man. What am I supposed to do now? I'm probably giving him the wrong idea.'_

'_**Who cares? You just kissed the hottest vampire you'll ever meet. You should be jumping around and screaming with joy.'**_

'_You're back._' Sakura smiled.

'_**I guess I am.'**_

'_I missed you Inner.' _She gave herself a hug.

'_**I missed you too. But you'd better stop spacing out get to the car before Sasuke says something.' **_Sakura agreed and walked to the car Sasuke stood next to. On the drive home, neither of them said a word; and this time, it was anything but a comfortable silence. Sakura wanted to ask what the kiss really meant and Sasuke wanted to tell Sakura the truth. It was Sasuke who stepped up first.

"Sakura," He started. Sakura looked up. "the kiss didn't mean anything." Sakura flinched at his tone. It was serious and cold.

"Okay." Sakura whispered. She solemnly agreed with Sasuke. _'It was just a spur of the moment thing.' _ Sakura thought. She stared out the window and sighed, the events of the kiss rushing through her head. She couldn't deny the fact that she liked the kiss; oh she couldn't deny that at all. It was one of the best feelings she ever felt, but she was confused. It was a stupid move; she could admit that. But Sasuke was supposed to focus on protecting her, and he couldn't do that if he was worrying about their situation. Things would definitely be weird.

Sasuke sideway glanced at Sakura and sighed as well. She looked confused and deep in thought, and Sasuke secretly wished he had the ability to read minds. He wanted to say something, and he realized the way he spoke to Sakura was in a harsh tone. He also saw the way she flinched as if she was scared. But he couldn't just say it like it wasn't a big deal. It was a big deal, and he had to make his point across, whether she liked the way he said it or not.

Sakura bit her lip to keep from crying again. She didn't know why she was crying, but it was probably the way Sasuke spoke to her. The way he said it made him sound angry, like he was mad at her because of the kiss, like he completely regretted doing it. She couldn't help but think that she ruined their friendship, even though it was Sasuke who leaned in first. The distraught teen sighed and clamped her mouth shut when she let a sob escape her lips. She could feel Sasuke's eyes on her, and her face flushed since she was holding her breath.

"Sakura, are you okay?" Sasuke asked thick headedly.

"Uh, y-yeah. I-I'm…fine." She stammered softly.

'_**Tch. He has the nerve to ask if you're okay. And to think I was beginning to have second thoughts about him being an asshole' Inner spat.**_

'_It isn't a big deal. Really it isn't, it's not like I like him or something. I'm just confused.'_

'_**You sure?'**_

'_Yeah.' _Sakura's Inner knew Sakura wasn't okay. She was confused since Sasuke kissed her and maybe even angry that she let him.

"Sakura." Sasuke called out. Sakura didn't move. Her eyes were dazed, so Sasuke guessed she was spacing out again. "Sakura." Sakura looked up at Sasuke.

"Huh?"

"We're here." She glanced out the window and found herself in the driveway to the mansion. She didn't feel like moving. Ice cream was the last thing on her mind, along with betting her books. It was only 2 o'clock, but all she wanted to do was crawl into bed with Midnight beside her and go to sleep, but school was going to let out in an hour, so her chances of sleeping were futile. Besides, she wanted to go see her friends anyway. When she reached the house, she heard Sasuke talking about something that probably didn't mean anything to her, so she ignored him and retreated to her room. Sasuke was staring after her, which annoyed Sakura.

'_If he's going to say something, say it all ready!' she _thought. Inner didn't reply for a second.

'_**Maybe he's looking at your ass.'**_

'_Thank you. That's a good thought.'_

'_**You're welcome sweetie.' **_Sakura stopped by Midnight's room and when she opened, Midnight was curled in a ball on the top of the tower. Sakura smiled and pulled her down. The kitten mewled and licked Sakura's finger. Sakura then carried Midnight to her own room, wriggled in her bed while gently placing Midnight next to her, and went to sleep.

With Sasuke, he left for the store a few minutes after Sakura went to bed. He had to get ice cream if Sakura was going to have some tonight, but he didn't know what kind she liked. Mint Chocolate Chip or Birthday Cake? Cookies and Cream or Rocky Road? Or maybe even the classic Vanilla, Chocolate and Strawberry. Sasuke just decided to get them all, spending a total of 41 dollars and 93 cents. Not much. When Sasuke was back home, he filled the refrigerator freezer with the ice cream and went upstairs to check on Sakura. She was sound asleep…again. He was really beginning to worry about the girl and her sleeping. Either she was just exhausted, or she really was becoming a vampire. He really hoped she wasn't, but there was one way to check. He had to see if she sported fangs. If she did she was definitely changing, if not, there wasn't anything to worry about.

'_What if she wakes up?' _Sasuke debated. He didn't even know if she was a light sleeper or not. One way to find out. Sasuke approached Sakura, and Midnight opened one eye. Sakura's lips were parted so Sasuke bent down and tried to look at her teeth. Damn, it wasn't a good view. Sasuke softly opened Sakura's lips more and peered in. Meanwhile, Sakura's emerald eyes were opening when she felt someone against her. On impulse she swung her feet up and kicked the person on top of her in the face. Midnight hissed and jumped from the bed.

"Who the hell-" Sakura stopped when she saw Sasuke looking as pissed as ever. "Oops."

"What the hell did you do that for?" he asked. Sakura frowned.

"You were on top of me! What was I supposed to do?" Sakura retorted, just as angry.

"Damn. You're overreacting."

"I'm not overreacting. If you woke up with someone on top of you, you'd probably kill them!"

Sasuke glared at the girl. "Whatever."

Sakura didn't stop. She was letting it all out now. "_What is with you?_ All you ever answer are the ones from your one-word vocabulary. Can you at least talk to me like a real person?! God you're so twisted."

Sasuke's glare intensified, and Sakura couldn't help but feel intimidated, although she kept her strong face on.

"How am I twisted?" He spat.

"One minute you're attacking me, the next you're kissing me, then you save my life and be nice to me. Then you save me again, lie, tell the truth when you should have in the first place, kiss me again and get on top of me when I'm asleep! That's how you're twisted! Why don't you just warn someone when you're going to do something stupid!"

"You're the stupid one. You're always trying to do stuff on your own when you know damned well you can't. It's your fault you ran into Tylar in the first place. Maybe if you listened to me like I told you, none of this shit would've happened. There's only yourself to blame, so you should be on your knees thanking me."

Sakura flinched. "I-I tried to call for help…" Sakura whispered.

"Calling for help and _calling _for help are two totally different things. I thought you were smart enough to at least realize that." Sakura was blinking back tears. Midnight, who was confused with all the yelling jumped trotted out of Sakura's room and went into hers.

"I tried, okay? You can't scold me for something that wasn't in my power! You think I wanted for that to happen?"

"You were probably talking to him before he grabbed you, right?"

"He said hi-"

"Yes or no?" Sasuke cut the girl off. She slowly nodded. "Exactly. So you can't yell at me for doing something stupid when, once again, it was to benefit you! So next time you want to say something to me, make sure you completely think it through."

Sakura was crying and gripping the sheets on the sides of her. "I hate you." She whispered.

Sasuke scoffed. "At least there's something we can agree on."

**Yep. That's right. I'm ending it here. They had their first fight, and neither of them is happy. I promise to get to the choices, but as you read, you saw that the kiss was the mostly favored. I'll get to you soon, but I'm getting my copy of Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer tomorrow and I'll be reading non-stop. See you next time and review with questions you may have! What'd you like the best?**

**-Jazz Out**


	8. Chapter 8

_Chocolate Roses_

**Chapter 8**

Of course I didn't hate her. It just slipped out, everything did; and now, I couldn't even talk to her. When I left the room, she slammed the door behind me. She was pissed, and I didn't doubt she hated me after everything I said. Midnight trotted out of her room and stopped in front of me. She just sat there and stared at me.

"What do you want?" I asked. She blinked and trotted off again. I sighed and went to my own room.

'**You can be a real bitch sometimes.' **Said a voice inside my head.

'_And you are?'_

'**Your Inner Voice. Now back to Sakura, you really have to learn how to treat a woman if you plan on getting along with this girl.'**

'_It's not my fault she's stubborn as hell.'_

'**She's just as stubborn as you are. You two are too alike, it's only natural you don't get along, but you don't have to be the bitchy one all the time. And she isn't going to apologize first, so you have to do it.'**

'_Meh. I'm not doing anything.'_

'**You'll never learn.'**

'_Because I don't give a damn.'_

'**My point exactly.'**

**:**

'_**I can't believe him! That stupid son of a bitch. That's it Sakura, the next time he does something, he's gonna die. Yes I said die, slow a pain-'**_

'_That's enough.' _I thought to her.

' _**Don't you "that's enough" me! This is serious stuff we're talking about. One day Sakura, he's going to do or sat something that'll make you snap…or me that is. So we either settle this now or suffer later.'**_

'_What do you want me to do? I don't really care anymore.' _

' _**Stop lying Sakura! You're sitting on your bed, crying your eyes out, so you can't tell me you don't care.'**_

'_Leave me alone.'_

'_**I'm not going to until you at least talk to me. Sasuke is out there crying, so you shouldn't either. He isn't worth a damned thing.**__** All he does is try to be your friend, and then does something to piss us off. It's obvious he doesn't care about you, so you shouldn't care about him.'**_

'…' My Inner was absolutely right. I just had to suck it up and brush him off. _'You're right. I'm going to go down there and pretend he doesn't even exist.' _ I went to my private bathroom and washed my face. I looked sleepy, and I was, but I wasn't going to show that to Sasuke. When I left my bathroom, I heard scratching sounds from outside my door so when I opened, Midnight ran into the room.

"Hey, girl." I smiled and bent down. Midnight frowned and stared at me.

"What?" she was just sitting there staring at me with her big green eyes.

'_**Maybe she's trying to tell you something.'**_

Midnight mewled and trotted away. _'Well then.' _ I shrugged and went down the stairs. Sasuke was in his room blasting music that I didn't recognize. I went to the refrigerator first and pulled out some soda, and then I reached for a glass above the cabinet. I was too short so I looked in the sink and the dishwasher for a glass but found none. How was I supposed to reach the glass? I sighed and attempted reaching for the cabinet again. Even my tiptoes did not work.

'_This is too much work.' _I sighed in defeat and looked around for the step stool I found earlier. Of course I couldn't find it. Oh wait, there it was under the living room. I carried the stool into the kitchen and stood on top of it. I was still too short, but my fingers brushed against the smooth surface of the glass. I stood on my tiptoes again, but the stool wobbled and the glass fell off of the cabinet. It seemed I was falling at slow motion, but a strong arm wrapped around my waist and a pale hand caught the glass in a swift movement. When I looked back up, Naruto was smiling back at me.

"Chibi suke." He teased. I smiled and thanked him. It didn't bother me that he called me short, but I retorted anyway.

"We can't all be tall." Naruto placed the glass in my hand sighed.

"How do you feel?"

"Ah…fine. I'm sleepy though."

"Why don't you sleep?"

I shrugged and poured my drink. "I've been doing that all day, but sadly my attempts to sleep are futile. Maybe I'm sick or something."

"You look fine to me." Shikamaru was sitting in a chair that was next to the kitchen. He appeared out of nowhere, but I nodded in response.

"I feel fine too."

I heard a loud noisy yawn coming from behind me, and when I looked around, I only found Kakashi slouching on a couch.

I giggled. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"You'd be amazed at how boring it is to teach a bunch of idiotic kids." Neji and Sai glanced at Naruto, and Shikamaru smirked.

"Why are y'all looking at me? I'm a smart person."

"Says you." Sasuke was down the stairs in a half-second. He didn't even glance in my direction when he brushed past me.

"Meh." Naruto rolled his eyes. "I get no love from this house."

Kakashi sighed. "My point exactly. That was the worse grammar I have ever heard."

"Who cares? You aren't my language arts teacher."

"I feel sorry for whoever is." Kakashi muttered.

"You'd be happy to know that I have A's and B's in some of my classes." Sai chuckled and Shikamaru tried his best to hold his laugh.

"Don't forget your C in Science." Sasuke pointed out from behind me.

"And your D in Social Studies." Neji added.

"Not to mention the C in Language Arts." Sai said amusingly.

"Or the C in my class." Kakashi sighed again.

"Which leaves you with A's and B's in your extra classes." Shikamaru laughed at Naruto's expression.

"Okay, okay I get it!" Naruto shouted in defeat. "Damn what is this, _gang-up-on-Naruto_ day?"

I laughed along with Shikamaru and suppressed my laughs with my hand when Naruto glared at me.

"Traitor." He mumbled, and even though he tried not to smile, I saw his lips tugging up at the corners.

"I'm not laughing at you…I'm…laughing with Shikamaru." I lied badly. But before Naruto came up with something else to say, Midnight came trotting down the long elegant stairs.

"Well what do we have here?" Kakashi asked. Midnight stopped in front of Kakashi and jumped on his pant leg.

"Sasuke and I found her in an alley. You don't mind, do you?" I asked, glancing at Kakashi as he picked up the kitten.

"Nope. It's fine with me."

I grinned widely. "We already got her checked out and we bought her some stuff she would need. Her room is next to mine."

"What's her name?" Neji asked.

"Midnight."

"Aa."

"She's cute." Naruto smiled and lifted Midnight in his arms.

"Sakura." Kakashi said. I pulled my eyes from Naruto and focused on Kakashi.

"How are you feeling? Well enough to go to school tomorrow?"

I nodded. I could feel Sasuke's eyes boring in the back of my head.

"Good for you, you have a lot of make-up work." I sighed and Kakashi reached in his bag and pulled out a stack of papers.

"Here's your homework from all of your classes."

"Thanks. I'll go get started." And with that, I descended towards my room.

**:**

I was somewhat glad to be in school again. It was better than a hard, uncomfortable hospital bed.

"SAKURAAA!" I bit my lips as I turned away from my locker and faced my friends who were running to my direction frantically.

"Oh my god your hair!" Ino exclaimed when she got closer to me.

"Yeah, the doctors had to cut it." I lied miserably. "Does it look bad?" I tried my best to shape it the way I wanted this morning, but I didn't know how I looked.

"No, of course not." Ino and Hinata played with my hair. "It's totally matches your face. It's like it was made for it."

"Really? Thanks."

"Sakura, please tell me you're okay." Tenten furrowed her brows.

"Yeah you had us really worried." Temari said.

"I feel great. Really I do."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." I assured.

I could feel eyes on me from another location, but I ignored it until I heard Ino squeal.

"Sasuke is looking over here. I wonder who he's looking at!" I scoffed and continued fumbling with my locker.

"What aren't you telling us?" Hinata urged on. I sighed.

"Sasuke and I got in a fight. It's nothing worth talking about."

"Yes the hell it is." Ino shouted, drawing attention towards our group. "What'd you fight about?"

"Hold on. Why won't this thing open?" My locker was jammed. I know I didn't get my combination mixed up.

"Here." Temari moved me out of the way and brutally kicked it. Surprisingly, it opened, but when it did, a rose tumbled to the floor. I bent down to pick it up and then read the small note that was attached to it. My friends were hovering over my shoulder reading as well.

_To my precious Cherry Blossom,_

_I have the pleasure of finally meeting such a woman again. One day, hopefully when the time is right, our paths shall cross once again._

"Sakura, do you know who this is?" Tenten asked excitedly.

"Ah…no. I don't have a clue." I looked at the rose, and noticed that it wasn't real. It was…chocolate. A chocolate rose.

"Ooh, I rose from a mysterious man. And he called you a woman, that's a really good sound."

"Yeah, he sounds hot."

"It's kind of creepy though." I looked up. Sasuke was already gone. "He spoke as if I've met him before. His name isn't even addressed at the bottom."

"So little forehead bitch has a secret admirer. What a surprise." I turned to my left, and found Ami standing next to my locker in all her hideous glory.

"Ugh," Ino wrinkled her nose. "What the hell do you want?"

"I just wanted to say hello. Is there a problem _pig_?" Hinata touched Ino's arm before she lunged at the girl.

"So I hear you and Sasuke got in a fight. "

"And?"

"If you weren't with him in the first place, that wouldn't have happened you know. I thought I told you to stay away from him." Ami took a step closer to me; closing the only little space there was between us.

"Hey! Back up." Temari warned. Ami ignored Temari and glared me in the eye. I tried my best not to crack under the pressure and glared back.

"I can be around Sasuke as much as I want. You don't control me, and you sure as hell don't scare me."

"Well we're going to have to change that, aren't we?"

"Hey." I looked up at Sasuke and sighed. "Ami, go to class."

"But-"

"Go to class." Sasuke demanded again.

"Why are you defending this bitch? She isn't worth anything!" She turned to me and scowled. "You just want the attention, don't you? You go around with your pretty pink hair and your innocent little attitude and expect people to fall for it." Ami poked me in the chest with her manicured finger. "Well you know what? I'm not falling for it. I know what you did at your other school. You're a slut, and that's all you are. That's all you ever will be!" I blinked back tears and dropped my poker face. "Just because you get to a new school, doesn't mean you're allowed to turn over a new leaf. Because people will never forget what you did you lying, sluttish, son of a-" Hinata stopped Ami when she slapped her across the face.

Several people were in the hallways and lockers around us sticking around and waiting for me to do something. But all I did was push passed the kids and run.

I ignored the attempts of my friends trying to stop me and proceeded to an empty classroom… I just closed the door, locked it and leaned against it while I cried. I didn't care if class was starting in a few minutes, or the fact that my friends would find me.

It was official, I wasn't wanted anywhere. Everywhere I went the past was brought up. There was no escape. Maybe I should just leave…I had to leave and save everyone from further suffering.

"Sakura dear, you cannot leave." I looked up, but there wasn't anyone in the dark room with me. Great. Now I was delusional.

"No you are not." I looked up but was greeted with crimson eyes. My eyes widened and I gasped.

"Y-You… It-Itachi Uchiha."

"You know of me? I am utterly flattered."

"S-Sas…uke. Sasuke."

"I am not your enemy sweetheart. I only wish to talk." Itachi tried to convince me.

I fumbled with the lock on the door and slipped outside. "Sasuke-" I stopped when he was standing right in front of me. He wasn't moving, nobody was moving; they were all statues.

"What did you do?" I turned to Itachi.

"Stop time. Now come." I followed Itachi back into the classroom. He turned the lights on and I sat back on the ground. I was so scared; I didn't even bother to hide my shaking.

"W-What do you want?"

"To talk to you about my younger brother, Sasuke." Itachi was just as handsome as I remembered, and I finally realized that all vampires were unbelievably beautiful creatures.

"What about him?"

"He has a soft spot for you." Itachi smiled at my reaction. I was nonetheless taken back.

"Me? That's impossible." Itachi shook his head.

"It is very much the truth. I just want to warn you, he will be killed if he falls in love with you."

"That will not happen. He doesn't even like me. No way." I babbled.

"Trust me dear, I know my brother, and he has taken a liking to you. I know you do not want him dead, so my best guess is to stay away from him as much as possible."

I frowned. "Why do you care? You killed him. You killed my parents." I retorted. Itachi was in front of me in a half second.

"I have my reasons Sakura Haruno." Itachi pulled out a rose, placed it in my hands and kissed my large forehead. "Have a nice day."

Itachi disappeared, and as he did, the door to the room bust open.

"Sakura!" It was Sasuke. I got to my feet.

"What?"

"What happened?"

"Nothing, I am fine."

"I thought I sensed Itachi's chakra…"

"No, I was sitting in here the entire time. I tried to squeeze passed Sasuke, but he grabbed my wrist. I sighed and turned around. Sasuke was staring at me with concern written all over his beautiful face.

"Are you okay?" he asked me. His avid onyx eyes never left mine, and I found myself thinking.

I didn't hate him. I never did hate him. He only wanted to help, and I was always doing something stupid to stop him. No, I didn't hate him.

I was falling for him.

**Uh-oh. I'm feeling the drama, can you? School is starting tomorrow; so don't expect any updates from me anytime soon. Sorry for the short chapter, but i had to update now or two weeks. Eighth grade is going to be a bitch, so I'm really sorry. My schedule for updating will be probably two weeks. What'd you like the best? Until next time!**

**-Jazz Out**


	9. Chapter 9

_Chocolate Roses_

**Chapter 9**

It was easy for me to conclude Itachi was the one who gave me the rose from my locker, but why? Why would he help Sasuke and I when he tried to kill us in the first place? It didn't make any since.

'_**Screw that! You like him!!'**_My Inner screamed at me. I winced.

'_Not really. I-I mean, maybe a little…I don't know.'_

Inner scoffed. _**'He doesn't deserve you Sakura, and you don't deserve him. You're too good for him.'**_

I paused and looked at Sasuke play basketball. We were at our extra class and the boys and girls had to play basketball. It was know surprise that he was amazing at that as well. We were in our gym class and were assigned to play basketball games. I was surprised to see that I wasn't half bad, but when I wasn't paying attention, I was hit in the head.

I fell backwards as several people gasped and scurried over to me with troubled faces. I could barely make out the faces of my friends since my head was spinning; and I noticed the nasty snake of a body slither up to me. My lip swelled and when I licked it I tasted iron. Blood, of course.

I blinked a few times and sat up, feeling the blood rush to my head. "Whoa…W-What just happened?" I turned to my friends and stood. I looked at their angry expressions, and frowned as I saw Ami standing behind them.

"The bitch _'accidently'_ hit you with the ball." Tenten explained.

"Oh…" I sighed as I licked my lips again.

"One day, I'm going to _'accidently'_ smack the shit out of her." Ino muttered.

"You're can only blame yourself pinky." Ami said, pushing passed Temari and Hinata. Karin tagged behind her like the scared puppy she was. "It'll all stop if you just do what I tell you of course." Hinata clenched her fists and I nudged her shoulder.

"It's okay."

"So the little girl needs a body guard now? You can't even take care of yourself Sakura, so the last thing you should be doing is try and be the hero." Ami moved closer to me.

'_**If she moves any closer, I'll have a very good reason why her body is in a river.'**_

'_She isn't worth it.'_

'_**Hmph, that's what you think. She's stealing your man.'**_

'_Sasuke is not…I thought you didn't want me with Sasuke.'_

'_**I don't, but if you won't have Sasuke, she will and that sure as hell is **__**not **__**happening!'**_

"I don't know why you insist on making fun of me. I told you I had nothing to do with Sasuke except for the fact that we live in the same house." Bystanders gathered around again. They sure did find the two of our quarrels intriguing and us. "If you must now, you are wasting your time trying to protect. Because if Sasuke belongs to you as much as you say he does, you have nothing to worry about."

The gym was a deadly silent for an unbelievably long time. Ami stared at me intently as if she was weighing her options. I shifted to my right foot and sighed quietly. Sasuke stopped the game, and was looking at me. I shook my head softly and he nodded. I focused my attention back on Ami, and just as I did, she broke into hysterics. I was confused as to why she was laughing, but before I could even finish my thought, she slapped me so hard across my face, I stumbled backwards and fell. The spot where she hit me throbbed painfully, and the tears were forced out of my eyes.

Chants were heard from the crowd, _'fight'_ the shouted. Ami hovered over me with a sinister smirk on her face and Ino screamed while Temari and Tenten held her back. I wiped my eyes and stood.

"Come on Sakura. You can't be telling me that is all you've got-" I clenched my fists and slapped Ami. She gasped and fell backwards just as I did. When Ami stood and readied herself for another hit, Sasuke was there in a matter of seconds.

He grabbed her hand and wrenched it away.

"S-Sasuke…"I whispered.

"Sasuke!" Ami gasped.

"Leave." He said coldly.

"But she-"

"Right now, or I'll hurt you." Ami's mouth fell open. Sasuke glared tensely while Ami stared in disbelief. The crowd fell silent and I heard Ino and Tenten squeal excitedly.

"Sasuke…it's um, okay." I said softly. He never turned away from Ami.

"Shut up!" Ami shouted. She glanced at me and stared at Sasuke again, tears in her eyes.

"Do you know what she did? You can't keep defending her unless you want to be pissed off and ready to kill someone!" Ami huffed and I stared in confusion.

Sasuke just glared and Ami stomped her foot in defeat. "Fine, but you wait pinky. You'll get what's coming to you, and be ready." Ami smiled and turned, walking away proudly. I stared after her until Sasuke turned to me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Uh…yeah I'm okay." I sighed and forced a smile.

Sasuke's hand reached up and softly touched my cheek. It was so gentle…something I thought Sasuke could never be. The crowd was holding their breath, as was I. I winced as the cheek he touched stung.

"It does hurt." He said. I bit my lip as he figured me out.

"Not that much Sasuke. Really it's n-not a big deal." Sasuke's hand fell from my face and he examined me. "I've had worse." I added. Sasuke finally gave up as he realized what I was referring to.

Sasuke sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Lying isn't your specialty. But don't worry about Ami. She's only talk."

I nodded and smiled a real smile. I thought I saw a hint of a smile behind his perfect lips as well. We were both silent for a minute, but suddenly spoke at the same time.

"I'm sorry." We said in unison. Sasuke gestured for me to continue.

"About what happened at the house…well I'm sorry. It was rude."

There was the smile I was looking for. Sasuke smiled at me and shook his head. Gaps were heard around us." You have no reason to apologize. You weren't too far off when you said I'd kill someone if they got on top of me so don't sweat it. You should be used to me being an asshole."

"But I…don't hate you."

"I figured as much. It's kind of hard to hate someone like you. I don't see how Ami does it." Sasuke muttered the last part with a confused expression. I looked at my feet.

Sasuke patted my shoulder. "Well enjoy the rest of your day Sakura." Then he slowly walked off. Before I knew it, I was bombarded with people, along with my friends.

"What was that?!" Tenten asked me.

"What?"

"Well first, Ami should not have been able to walk off by herself, and second, you soo had a moment with Sasuke."

"What?" I asked again.

"You sure did!" A girl from the crowd shouted.

"Are you two going out?"

" Do you like him?"

"Does he like you?" I sighed as these questions were thrown at me.

"No people! We're friends, that's it!" I said exasperated. "That's it…" I whispered the last part, turning away from my friends. That's all we were…right? I stopped as the pain hit. The headache I felt was…amazing. I gasped and closed my eyes. I stumbled and bumped into Temari.

"Sakura, are you…"

"Get S-Sasuke…s-something isn't right…" I whispered…or that's what I thought I whispered. I didn't even know if I made any sense, but when I saw Hinata running to the door, I was assured. I closed my eyes. Yes, something wasn't right at all.

**Please!! I'm sorry it's soo short, but it was now or never so I chose now! But you know, I have the next 20 chapters planned out… yeah, it's gonna be a long dramatic story. Well I love you guys and I'll see you soon!**

**-Jazz Out**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 10**

"She's exhausted." I heard a gentle, quiet voice whisper. "Do you know exactly if she's eaten or if she has any medical problems?" the woman asked in her sing-song voice.

"No I do not." Sasuke's voice echoed through the room. My eyelids were heavy, but I slowly forced them open.

"Sasuke?" I whispered. I noticed that he wasn't in the room I was in, but he was beside me in a second.

"What's up? How do you feel?" I began feeling again, and I suddenly wished I couldn't.

"The truth?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes the truth."

"Like crap. I want to get out of here though. I'm at the clinic right?"

"Yeah…" Sasuke stared at me like the idiot I sounded like. "I guess we can sneak out. Come on." I threw my legs over the bed and grabbed Sasuke's hand as he helped me out the bed. He led me out the clinic and sighed.

"How'd you find me? I thought you left."

"I did. It's a guardian thing. I felt your chakra weaken so I went back to get you."

"I have chakra?" I asked. Sasuke nodded slowly.

"Everyone does. Even if it's practically undetectable, it's there." I grinned.

"That is soo cool." Sasuke smiled. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it. His icy hand was cold against my warm one. I blushed slightly when he looked in my eyes.

"Yeah, it is."

**:**

"Sasukeeee!" I sighed and leaned against the rails on the stairs. Ami ran towards me quickly with a small smile on her face.

"What?" She stopped in front of me and panted.

"Come here. I have to show you something." She grabbed my hand and led me to the back of the school.

"What is it that's so important to show me?" Ami threw her arms around me and sighed in my chest.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

"What for?"

"For being a bitch towards Sakura. I know how you feel about her Sasuke."

"And what's that?" I asked. Ami looked up at me and frowned.

"I see the way you look at her. It's obvious you care about her way more than you care about me. That's the only reason I'm mean to her. I'm jealous, but I can't let that ruin what you and I _might_ have. It's not worth it. So go tell Sakura, Sasuke." Ami's eyes twinkled and glimmered with tears.

"Thank you." I muttered. I tore away from Ami but she grasped my hand.

"Wait." I turned back around and was met with her lips. I kissed her back for a minute until I pulled back and walked away. I walked back around to the front of the school and was greeted with Sakura nonetheless. She was staring at me with a troubled expression.

"What is it?" she shook her head.

"Um…oh, nothing. I came out here to tell you something but…I… forget it." Sakura forced a smile and turned back in the school. I tried to figure out why she was so depressed all of a sudden.

"Yeah I know. I guess Sasuke and Ami are broken up now." I turned around and listened in on the conversation a group of gossipers were having.

"But she just couldn't let him go without another kiss out of him."

"I know. But I here Sakura that new girl is his new interest. Did you hear about what happened in the gym?"

"Of course I did. News travels fast you know. But I totally feel for Ami. This Sakura girl comes out of nowhere and absolutely steals Sasuke's heart. She's beautiful isn't she? How can any girl compare to her, its impossible!"

"But guess what? I don't think that Sakura's gonna be comfortable with Sasuke after what just happened."

"What happened?"

"Well I saw her coming outside and she was really nervous you know? She looked like she had something really important to say. Well anyways, she was scanning around here and she started walking to the back of the school where Ami and Sasuke were. When she saw them kissing, it was so sad. She turned back around sat on the steps for a second. It looked like she was gonna cry!"

"No way! Oh my… hey…Sasuke's looking at us." I sighed and turned back around. So _that_ was it. I didn't mean for Sakura to see what was going on, and it didn't help that she came at the wrong time. Damn, when was I going to get this right?

**:**

I decided to walk back home since Kakashi let me. I told him I was going to go window-shopping since Christmas was on its way. I stopped in a J.C Penny's after I saw a terribly cute sweater in the window.

"Sakura." I turned away from the clothes rack and met the cat eyes of Ami. I frowned and gripped my arms as I crossed them.

"What?" I asked. Ami just shook her head.

"Nothing. Just…I'm sorry." I flinched in surprise.

"W-What?"

"You heard me. Sasuke's all yours now. It's over between us, and I have nothing to fight you over anymore." I could tell by looking in her eyes that she was absolutely serious.

"B-But Ami, why would you…give him up?" Ami laughed half-heartedly.

"Well if he hasn't told you yet then…I don't have the right." She threw her jacket on and smiled at me.

"You see, I'm not as stupid as you may think I am. I know how Sasuke feels about you and how you feel about him. It's beyond my control now, and it would be stupid to take my jealousy out on you like I have been doing."

"Ami…so you know how I feel about him, huh? Well to tell you the truth, I think you know more than I do. I can't piece my feelings for Sasuke together. It's just too…confusing." Ami shook her head.

"Go with your gut. I know what you're really feeling. Stop denying it." She opened her mouth to say something else but she froze. I looked around and noticed that everyone else was frozen as well.

"You've got to be kidding me…" I whispered.

"At least pretend you are glad to see me." It was Itachi's smooth voice. He appeared in front of me, a faint smile on his lips.

"What do you w—"

"Hush. Listen sweetheart, why do you constantly let these insolent children walk all over you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked seriously. Itachi glanced behind him and nodded at Ami.

"This girl. She is up to no good."

"What makes you think that? We were just talking." Itachi shook his head.

"Do not fall for her sweet attitude. She is only trying to regain your trust." I moved my eyes back to Ami.

"You sure about that?"

"Absolutely positive." I sighed and sat on the high counter where the store clerk was frozen.

"Once again." I muttered. "I don't understand anything anymore."

Itachi sighed. "Sakura, did Kakashi ever tell you your parents were vampires?"

I glanced up and shrugged. Nothing surprised me anymore anyways. "No he didn't."

"Well then," Itachi leaned against a pillar that was in the middle of the store. " I guess I have explaining to do. Your mother was a half-vampire when she was pregnant. She had you and was changed into a full vampire. When you were born, you were expected to be half-vampire as well, but that wasn't the case, and you were born human. You are the only _'human'_ child to ever be born by vampire parents. And by ever, I mean in the entire history of vampires, which dates back to around 800 B.C. Because of that, you are the main target for other vampires, which is also why Kakashi adopted you. He was protecting you from harm, as was Kushina Uzumaki."

I gaped. "So…what am I?"

"I'm not exactly sure, which is why I attempted to kill you. Your powers were unknown and potentially dangerous. I was sent to kill you but your parents got in the way and died instead."

I sighed. "Was killing them necessary Itachi?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yes it was. But look at it this way. If I did not kill them, if your parents did not take your place in death, you would have died not too long after. "

"So are you going to kill me now?"

"No, child. I've been watching you is all. I am convinced that your vampire traits will awaken, and I want to be sure that it happens under someone's watch."

"But Sasuke's my guardian you know." I added. Itachi chuckled.

"What?"

"Sasuke…Sasuke makes an amusing guardian I must say. I do not completely trust him with you, but his feelings for you keep him strong and determined."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sick of hearing that. I have yet to be convinced that Sasuke has any feelings for me at all. I understand that we've had some moments but…that's normal isn't it? It doesn't mean I…he cares about me in another way. He's just doing his job."

"Sakura, love. You're quite stubborn."

"I'm sick of hearing that, too." Itachi smiled and gestured for me to come to him. I arched an eyebrow.

"What?" I asked again.

"Come here. I won't bite…" I noted the sarcasm in his voice, but was convinced that he wouldn't…bite? I hopped off the counter and walked up to Itachi. He held out his hand and I took it. As I did I felt a powerful surge throughout my body. It was unbelievable. It felt so good; I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Itachi's hand was glowing and when I actually looked down, I saw that I was too. Just as quick as the fun began, it ended as Itachi let go of my hand. I gasped at how weak I felt instantly. I collapsed in Itachi's body and he held me.

"W-What was that?" I whispered. Itachi simply smiled and sighed as I closed my eyes.

"I've awakened your vampire powers. Sakura Haruno, you are now, officially one of the vampires."

**Alrighty Peoples. I know it was short but I had to update! Peace.**

**-Jazz Out**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chocolate Rose**_

**Chapter 11**

**This is dedicated to everyone who waited for this chapter. Sorry for the wait and here is your award!**

"Oh my…what the hell Itachi!" I quickly pulled away while tripping over my feet.

"I know what you are thinking…"

"No the hell you don't. Damn what's gonna happen to me? What about Sasuke?" I groaned.

"Listen-"

"I absolutely refuse to listen! You made me a VAMPIRE! Do you know what this is going to do to me? I c-can't-"

"Sakura!" I stopped when Itachi raised his voice. I've never heard his voice go above his normal monotone one. "You are not completely a vampire."

"But you said-"

"Awakening powers and making the change are to totally different things. I wouldn't think of changing without consulting it with you. And even if I did, Sasuke would be the one to do it, not I."

"Sasuke?"

Itachi sighed again. "I must get going."

"Wait-"

"I will contact you shortly." I hopped off the ledge.

"But what do I do if someone asks me what happened?"

"Tell them what you must. But do not lie because you are not very good at it." Itachi disappeared when I blinked and time started again.

"Well…when the hell did you get over there?" I turned around to face Ami.

"I walked." I muttered.

"What was that?"

"I said I'm going home!" I shouted loud enough, and then hurried out the store. I never did get that sweater.

**:**

'**Hello?'**

"Yes it's Ami."

'**How did it go?'**

"Just fine. At least she doesn't think I'm bitchy anymore. Although I do think she needs a little more convincing."

'**Very well. I will hold up my part of the deal.'**

"See you there."

'**Before you go, I need to ask you something rather important.'**

"Like?"

'**Are you willing to become a vampire?'**

"Like you? I don't think so."

'**Aa but look at it this way. You will not die, you will not age and you will have the ability to crush anything or anyone that gets in the way of your goal.'**

"And what's my goal?"

'**To be with Sasuke right?'**

"Yeah, and…you're saying I won't age?"

'**You will stay forever beautiful Ami.'**

"…Deal."

**:**

"Dammit Sakura answer the phone!" I cursed while roaming the streets. I hadn't seen Sakura since school, and she refused to pick up her phone. I was convinced something happened. I snapped my phone shut and shoved it in my pocket.

Damn.

I stopped looking and stepped inside a bar. Sighing, I hopped on the barstool and looked around. There was a man at a booth in the back whispering _naughty things _to his female partner, a group of old soggy men playing cards and…

I got off the stool and walked to the corner of the bar. Sliding into the seat, I tapped the shoulders of the pink-haired figure in front of me.

"Sakura." Her face was down so I could not see her. Her head lifted slightly and stared at me.

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that." She muttered. Her voice was slurred and by the smell of it, she'd been drinking.

"Sakura…" I sighed. "What were you drinking?"

"S-Shut up. I ordered water from that guy and… he told me to try a drink. It was good and it made me dizzy…"

"What guy is it?"

"Over there." Sakura lifted a finger and pointed at the bartender. I walked up to the old man and glared.

"What game are you playing."?

"You talkin' to me?"

"Why the hell did you give her that drink? She's not going to die if that's what you were trying to do."

"What did you expect me to do? Some half-vampire thing walks in here! You're lucky I didn't alert the Council-" I punched the man in the side of his face and went back to Sakura after he hit the ground.

"Come on. I'll get you home."

"No, go away…I have a headache." I ignored her and lifted her in my arms.

"Sasuke…"

Guiding her outside, I headed towards the mansion. Sakura was muttering something I couldn't make out until she spoke up.

"Sasuke… put me down. I-I have to look at you." I placed Sakura on her feet and held her up just in case.

"What?" I asked.

Sakura smiled and sighed. " You know Ami came up to me earlier. She told me I could have you all to myself." My face hardened a little.

"I would have been happy if I knew what the hell she was talking 'bout. Do you know? Everybody keeps sayin' you have feelings for me but I don't believe it!" Sakura giggled. Whatever that man gave her was making her loopy.

"I'll tell you later. Right now, I have to get you home."

"No tell me now? Do you like me o-or not?"

"Later Sak-" Sakura growled. I stepped back. What just happened?

"I like you Sasuke. You know that right?"

"Come here." I motioned for Sakura to come t me. She did, and I told her to open her mouth. When she did, I looked and saw the small canines she had. No fangs.

"What is it?" Sakura asked me. I shook my head.

"Nothing. It's getting late."

"But you never answered my question!" Sakura groaned and yawned.

"The sooner you shut up, the sooner we can get home and the quicker your question will be answered."

"Fine." I led Sakura home in silence. I know for sure she just growled at me. Maybe…something was caught in her throat. There were no signs that she was changing besides the sleeping, and that could've been because she stayed up late every night. I definitely had to talk to Kakashi. When we got home, the others stayed out of the way. OI would tell them what happened later. I showed Sakura to her room and closed the door behind me.

Sakura sat on the edge and petted Midnight while I leaned against the door.

"Why were you kissing Ami? I mean, I thought…"

"It's hard to explain. It's a long story I don't feel like getting in to."

"I have time. I need to know before I get anymore confused."

"I broke up with her and she wanted one more kiss." Sakura looked up from the black kitten.

"You broke up with Ami? Was it because of…me?"

"Partially. I didn't like how she was jealous of you, and continued to make you feel like shit. She was a bitch I must say."

"B-But… I'm sorry. I messed it up." Sakura sighed and looked down.

"Messed what up?"

"Your relationship. I didn't want that to happen. I only want you to be happy and that isn't going to happen if I ruin your love life."

"What love life?"

Sakura bit her lip. "Have you ever had sex with Ami?" I frowned.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Well?"

"Yes. Once when I was on her blood." I admitted

"That's what I mean. I should've done what she told me to. Dammit!" Sakura shot up, causing Midnight to jump off the bed. "You guys actually had something going until I showed up. Is there anyway you can stop being my guardian? There is right?"

"You're being absurd." I sighed.

"The last thing I'm being is absurd! I make perfect since! If all I'm going to do is bother you a-and everyone else around me, I should get out the picture. It would make you happy and-"

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Speaking for me. I'm glad Ami and I aren't together anymore. I'm better off."

"No you aren't. You're saying that to make me feel better."

"No I'm not. I'm happier when I'm around you than I have been with any other girl I've been with."

Sakura's lip quivered. "Don't you dare start crying." I walked up to her as she began shifting her feet.

"Liar."

"Why are you doing this. I…"

"You what?"

"Nothing." I mumbled.

_**I was going to tell you…**_

"Don't keep anymore secrets from me. Please?"

_**I have to tell you…**_

"Sakura… just trust me when I say, those things you hear were right."

"What things."

_**You're doing this on purpose…**_

"I have feelings for you…I can't…"

"Sasuke, please, just say it."

"Damn, I can't! Sakura, it's hard. You just don't know."

"Trust me with the truth Sasuke. I need to know." Sakura's hand reached up to touch my cheek. I could already see the tears in her eyes.

"Don't." I backed away.

_**I can't do it…**_

"Why?"

_**Because I'm afraid…**_

"You… I-I'm leaving."

"Leaving?"

"Yes." Sakura began shaking slightly.

"Where? Where are you going? Why are you leaving!"

_**Because you can't know…**_

"Are you at least going to tell me Sasuke? I don't want you to go anyway…but I can't stop you can I?"

_**I care too much…**_

"No. Why would you want to? A second ago, you were trying to get rid of me."

"No, don't leave Sasuke. It wasn't what I meant. You know that!"

"I don't,"

"Well now I'm telling you. I want you to stay here. I want you as my guardian."

_**I can't stay…**_

"I'll only cause trouble for you. I'm already breaking the rules."

"What rule are you breaking."?

"The one when the guardian developes feelings for the one he or she is protecting."

Sakura shrunk back away from me. Her eyes were widened slightly in surprise, almost disbelief.

"It's absolutely out of the question. If I do, the consequences will be severe."

"That's stupid. Why is it a rule to…?"

"Don't ask me again. I won't answer."

"It's true. The feelings you have…after everything-"

"Shut up Sakura." I spat out.

"No. You care about me after everything that happened. And it's against-"

"Shut up!" I finally lost it. I wasn't going to tell her anything and she knew it, yet she insisted on pressing on. "Damn I told you to just… just shut up and go to bed." I turned away from her and sighed.

_**It's hard…**_

"Don't leave." Sakura pleaded. I didn't turn back around.

_**I can't fall in love… **_

"There's no other choice Sakura! It's too late, it's happened and I have to go. You'll be appointed to another guardian, someone more reliable than I am."

"But you didn't do anything wrong. Look at me." I heard Sakura move closer to me. " Look at me." Sakura repeated.

_**If I turn, I won't be able to leave you…**_

"I can't."

"Yes you can Sasuke." Her hands were on my shoulders, shaking. "Turn around and look at me. Look at me and tell me you can't. Sasuke."

I began turning to look at Sakura. I didn't…I didn't want to.

But I did.

Sakura was crying. It made my stomach drop and my throat dry.

"Tell me why Sasuke. Tell m-me why you're leaving me." I gritted my teeth and grabbed Sakura's hands. I pulled Sakura to me and bent down to kiss her. I could taste her salty tears on my lips. Sakura wrapped her arms around my neck and let out a sob.

"Don't you l-leave. P-Please!" she whispered, not moving her lips away from mine.

"I'm not. I'm not leaving." Sakura sighed.

"Tell me the truth then."

"No."

"You can trust me Sasuke. You can trust me with anything."

_**If you don't accept me…**_

"No,not with this."

_**I don't know what I'll do…**_

"I-I can't take this Sasuke. I want you to stay, but I don't want any secrets." I pulled away from Sakura quickly and hit my fist against the wall.

"Shit!" I hissed.

_**It's hard… **_

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid of what you'll think of me. I don't think I could bear the way you'll look at me if…if you don't accept me. I can't!"

"Trust me Sasuke. That's all I want from you." The way she stared at me, calm almost, like she knew what was going on, made me infuriated. Sakura touched my hand and I jerked my hand up, hitting her in the process. She staggered back and reached up to touch her face, red from where I hit her.

"Sa…" she started. Below me, Midnight hissed.

"It was…I'm-"

"Okay, I get it. You don't want me to know."

"Sakura-"

"No, I'm sorry." She put on a smile, through her tears. "I m-must be annoying, huh?" she backed away from me and winced. I hit her hard, I know I did.

"I didn't mean to hit you…"

She shook her head. "I won't keep you any longer Sasuke. Do us both a favor and leave."

"I'm sorry Sakura. I am."

"Why can't you just trust me! I'm not the judging type, that's the last thing I am. But you can't even tell me how you feel." Sakura sobbed. " I understand you have things you want to keep private, but I really must know. Then you hit me…when all I wanted was…" Sakura pushed passed me and ran down the stairs.

_**The truth is…**_

I stood still, trying to process in my mind what happened. "Dammit!!" I shouted. Naruto was coming up the stairs and into Sakura's room.

"What the hell just happened Sasuke?" he asked me." Did you just hit her?"

"It was an accident. I was going to tell her I…"

_**I love you…**_

**Alrighty. I can finally update! This chapter doesn't seem tooooo short but it could've been longer. Oh well. I might be able to get one or two more chapters in before school starts up again. Peace!**

**-Jazz Out**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 12**

**Dedicated to my ma who's letting me on the computer so much! Read the author's note at the bottom!**

I couldn't help but feel like I did something terribly wrong. I shouldn't have pushed Sasuke so far that he resulted to hitting me. But it hurt a lot. The side of my face burned, and I could feel the swelling.

Midnight ran after me. She knew I was upset, being the smart kitten she was. I was outside, crying my eyes out and looking at the fountain in the front lawn. The phone in my pocket was ringing off the hook. After the first ten minutes, I ignored it, then gave up and answered.

"Hello." I cleared my throat to try to get rid of my tone.

'_**Sakura? What's wrong with you?'**_It was Hinata.

"Um, nothing. I think I'm getting a little sick." I tried to stop myself from sniffing, but it was futile.

'_**I'll be right there Sakura.'**_

"No Hinata! Don't-" She hung up and I sighed.

Shortly after, my phone began ringing again. Why couldn't everybody just leave me alone?

"Hello?" I didn't even bother trying to hide the irritation in my voice.

'**Sakura Haruno?'**

"This is she. Who's calling?"

'_**Listen to what I am saying. I have your friend, Ami. If you don't follow my exact orders, she will die.'**_

I stood quickly and looked around. Then gasped when I heard Ami's strained voice. _**'Sakura!! Help me please. I'm sorry about everything I did. Help!!!'**_

'_**You are in the front yard of your home. I want you to go back inside and confront Sasuke Uchiha. First, grab the stake that has been placed on the porch. Say these words verbatim after that. 'Sasuke, this is the last time you will see me and I want you to know that I will never love someone like you again.' After those words are spoken, stab him in the stomach. He will be stunned, and that will give you the chance to run and leave. Any type of communication to someone besides Uchiha will result in the death of you and Ami. Go. You have ten minutes.'**_

I stood frozen and shocked. I couldn't do what he just told me to do. I would never! But I didn't want Ami to die, as much as my Inner wanted her to. She was innocent, and didn't deserve to die. I had nine minutes to hurt that man I cared so much about. I slowly stalked to the porch, Midnight following me.

Just as the man said, there was a shining, silver stake on the _'Welcome' _mat. I bent to pick it up and tucked it under my shirt

I hesitated.

Eight minutes.

I opened the door and stalked inside.

"Sasuke!" I shouted, my voice shaking. Sasuke appeared, anger, confusion and sadness written all over his beautiful face.

"Sakura, I'm sorry." He quickly blurted out before I could speak. He pulled me in his arms and sighed. "I'll tell you the truth."

"No Sasuke stop. Please don't tell me!"

"Follow." I froze again. Damn, this wasn't going according to plan. The wrong plan. I followed Sasuke up the stairs and into his room. I've never been in here before. Minus the tidiness, it was a normal boy room.

"Sasuke. I need to tell you something."

"What?" I was reluctant to answer. I paused for so long, the events of my _own_ plan going along in my head. I pulled the stake out, watching Sasuke's face crease with confusion and fear.

"What're you…"

"Sasuke, this is the last time you will see me and I want you to know I will never love someone like you ever…ever again." I then took the stake, gasped sharply and plunged it in my stomach. I closed my eyes as the blood ran along my fingers and onto the floor. Sasuke was stricken with shock; I didn't think he could move.

I fell backwards and choked a scream. Blurs for bodies were flooding into the room while Sasuke stayed in place. He wasn't moving an inch, but I couldn't bear to look in his eyes. That was the last thing I would do.

"S…S-Sasuke...s-save Ami! S-She's going t-to d-die…!" I rasped.

"Dammit Kakashi," I heard Shikamaru mutter. I knew he was talking about the blood.

"Leave. Naruto, call Tsunade. And hurry the hell up!" The stake was being removed from my stomach and I could feel the chakra being released into my body.

"It's no use Kakashi." I heard Neji whisper. "She's lost so much blood it's almost impossible-" he stopped. I tried to open my eyes and saw a blur of blue walk out the room.

Sasuke was leaving.

"No-" I stopped and screamed at the pain. I needed Sasuke with me. "N-N-Neji, tell…Sasuke I w-w-was supposed…t-to kill him. I-I couldn't d-do it N-Neji. I swear." I managed. I think Neji nodded.

"I'll tell him. Don't worry about it Sakura."

"I-I was set up. H-H-He said he h-had Ami and…"I closed my eyes again and screamed quietly. Thank god it was finally over.

**:**

"Sakura, wake up!" a hard voice demanded. My eyes were fluttering, but wouldn't open. I felt myself groan.

"Wake up!" My eyes opened and met Sasuke's eyes. Behind him was… it was Ami. She was in one piece, safe and all.

"You s-saved her…" I mumbled.

"You mean Ami? She was never in trouble Sakura! When I found her she was at home asleep."

I attempted sitting up but Sasuke forced me back down. "Impossible. I heard you…"

"Sakura, how could you do something like this?" Ami's face was hurt. "This has gone way too far!" I shook my head. I knew exactly what I heard. Ami was on the other line, screaming for help…screaming for _me_ to help her!

"Ami, leave us." Sasuke ordered. Ami left with a glare in my direction.

"S-Sasuke don't look at me like that!" I cried, averting my eyes. His glare was so intense; I was almost brought to tears all over again.

"Don't ever do something like that again!"

"But he-"

"Who is this guy? If he really did call you and said he had Ami, why didn't you just do what he said!"

"I couldn't hurt you. I would never be able to live that down." My voice was a whisper compared to his loud angry one.

"That's bullshit Sakura. Why is that all this happens after we fight? Why is it that when I go to see Ami, believing what you said, she's at home asleep?"

I attempted to sit up again, but Sasuke pushed me back down. "Don't touch me! What are you implying Sasuke?"

Sasuke got in my face and glared. "I'm implying you made every bit of this up, and stabbed yourself in front of me to get revenge."

I stared at him like it was the stupidest thing I'd heard. I _was_ the stupidest thing I heard.

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

"You heard what I said. And leave it to you to put Ami in it just to make matters worse. You're pretty damn smart too."

"How could you even think something a-as horrible as that? I didn't want you to get hurt Sasuke. I thought if I stalled time you could go save Ami."

"So you risked your life for me and my ex-girlfriend who you hate the most?"

I hesitated. "Yes." Sasuke scoffed and backed away from me.

"Fine, Sakura. Whatever the hell you say."

"You don't believe me." I stated more that asked. It was pretty clear at what he thought happened. And the fact that Ami was with him in one piece, denying everything didn't make my situation ant better.

"No I don't. But answer me this." I turned away from Sasuke in disgust.

'_**I can't believe this.'**_My Inner muttered_. __**'This isn't even right.'**_

"When did you start meeting up with Itachi? And how many times?"

I but my lip and ignored him. "Answer me." His voice was cold; colder than it was when we first met. I continued to ignore him, still baffled at the situation.

"Answer me dammit!" he banged his hand against the metal rail beside my hospital bed, shaking it completely. I jumped, swallowing my tears. I ignored him once again, knowing I was making him angry beyond belief. But who cared? I didn't. He didn't trust me nor believe I didn't try committing suicide in front of him.

Sasuke's onyx eyes were flashing red, and spinning. "I didn't tell anyone about it, only because it would get everyone we know killed. What makes you think you can put this family in danger like that? You obviously have no respect for the people who are taking care of your ass."

"I don't need you."

"Oh really?"

"Really. How can I respect someone who doesn't even believe me when I say my life is more important than his? It's impossible and just so you know Sasuke, Itachi is the better brother out of the two." Sasuke's red eyes narrowed and his breath hitched.

I didn't even flinch when his fangs appeared and he hissed. That was a low blow, but it wasn't affecting me whatsoever. At this point, Itachi Uchiha, the mass murderer, was the best thing to happen to me. Sasuke straightened up and closed his eyes. When they opened again, they were normal and pain-filled.

"Leave." I whispered.

"That's not anything you have to ask me to do." Sasuke stepped out the room and Ami shuffled in shortly after.

"You're losing your mind Pinky. You know I didn't call you two days ago." I couldn't help but see the amusement in her eyes. She set all of this up! Using the little strength I had, I sat up in the bed, threw my legs over the edge and wobbled to where Ami stood.

"What the hell are you planning?" I asked her. Ami smiled.

"Nothing really. I'm just making sure Sasuke knows what he was in for when he fell for a girl like you." I paused and clenched my fists. She really did set this up!

"How'd you do it?"

"Wasn't hard. I know all about that vampire madness everyone tried to hide. I even have a little friend who's willing to kill you if it means I can have Sasuke. But now, after that stunt you pulled, Sasuke's all mine."

I slapped Ami the hardest I could and she threw her head back in laughter. "Tell Sasuke what you did! Go and tell him or so help me I'll do it myself!" I screamed, hoping Sasuke was around so he could here.

"Oh please Pinky. Look at the state you're in. I can break you so badly; they'll have to make this your permanent room. So don't mess with me." Ami pushed me into the tray beside the bed and I fell back.

I seethed and clutched my stomach. The stitches were ripped out.

"Oh, and I suggest you keep that mouth of yours shut unless or I'll send my friend out to kill you in an instant. See you later." Ami smiled and left the room.

"Sakura." The voice belonged to Itachi. I wasn't in the mood for him to ruin the rest of my day.

"Go away Itachi. I don't want to be bothered. You aren't supposed to be here."

"I've known that for centuries child. I'm not supposed to be anywhere." He was in front of me instantly, and bent down to help me up. I noticed that he was dressed in normal attire, a T-shirt with the Akatsuki symbol and jeans. "I refuse to let this monstrous, audacious girl step on you any longer. It is your responsibility to do something about it, or I will handle it personally."

"That won't be necessary Itachi. I mean, Sasuke of all people, doesn't even believe me. I don't know what else to do."

"You are very special Sakura Haruno. I only wished to bring out your true potential when I awakened your powers. Whatever you experience from here on out has been locked away by the people who were afraid of your power." I frowned. What potential? I was a weak, ineffectual teenager with way too many issues. Itachi's head snapped up and I guessed he heard what I just thought.

"Sakura, love, the last thing you are is ineffectual. You are stronger than you think." I sighed and wondered why he was being so kind to me, even when no one else would. I didn't want to push it, and he was probably hearing what I was thinking…

Itachi smirked. "Are you well enough to come with me?"

"No. I'm not even supposed to be with you." Itachi grabbed my hand and pulled me in the direction of the window.

"I do not plan on doing anything irrational."

"That's because I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Sakura."

"What?"

"Would you want me to be the one to end Sasuke's life." I stopped and glared.

"What? No-of course not."

"Aa. But do you know that a guardian who develops feelings for the one he is protecting is strictly against the rules? He will most likely be killed and replaced by another. How do you expect you would keep that from happening?"

"I…I-I don't know. But I don't want him to die." Itachi smiled at me and my heart skipped a beat. I'm sure he heard it. "What?"

"You are amazing. You care about Sasuke's life even after he refused to believe it himself. He does not know what he is giving up. I want to help you become stronger." Itachi never ceased to make me feel like a whole person.

"I'll get in trouble if I go with you."

"You may always say I held you captive."

I shook my head. "They'll read my mind."

"Can you not block?" Itachi grinned.

"Block?"

"Yes. If someone were to try and read your mind, you can simply shut him or her out. As long as you perform the technique correctly, they will not know it happened."

"How am I supposed to know if someone is entering my head?"

"Do you have an Inner voice?"

I nodded. "She should be able to detect it then. Some vampires think Inner voices are a figment of ones imagination, when truly; they are their own person. Your Inner has her own feelings, thoughts and beliefs that are most likely different from yours, right?" I nodded. "As for the blocking technique, I will teach you if u wish."

"It's not right."

"I understand, but it will benefit you in the end." Itachi grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the window. When he opened it, I stopped him.

"You are not jumping out that window."

"Why not?" then he did jump I didn't help that I was in his arms, or the fact that the floor I was on was seventeen stories high. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact. Itachi landed gracefully on his feet.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked once I was on my feet. I looked around me at the frozen people scattered around the place.

"The park…if that is fine with you."

"It is."

"First things first Sakura. I know you are in pain." Itachi brought chakra to his large hand and lifted my shirt so he could heal my wound.

"Why were you so willing to risk your life for the two of them?" Itachi asked me.

"I… don't even know anymore. It's obvious it was for nothing."

"Did the man not say for you to kill Sasuke? If you knew that, why did you not do what he said?"

"Because if I did, I wouldn't forgive myself. I'd much rather put my life on the line than take Sasuke's life, even if he thinks I'm crazy. I stabbed myself because I knew Sasuke would save Ami in time…"

"Right, so what do you plan on doing now? Sasuke insists on not believe you, and Ami has him right where she wants him."

"I don't know, I guess just let things happen as they happen. There's nothing else I can do. But can you answer this question for me Itachi?"

"Yes, of course."

"Why do you bother messing with a girl like me?"

"Because, unlike most vampires, I believe you'll do what's right."

"What do you mean?"

Itachi shook his head. "You will find out in due time. Now is not it." Itachi removed his hand. "I want you to be content, I guess as a way to fulfill one good deed before I go. And I want to prove that, while knowing as much as you know about me, you continue to trust me."

"I do trust you."

"I know. But I do not know if that is a good thing or as bad thing."

"Good. I need someone you know."

Itachi paused and sighed. "I have decided long ago that I would never trust anyone besides myself."

"Why? Don't you ever need someone to talk to?"

"I do not talk. The conversations I have with you are about it."

"You only talk to me?"

"Yes. Like Sasuke, I am anti-social."

"It's an Uchiha thing." I muttered.

"Come now, we should get started." Itachi and I walked to a blank spot in the park and sat. "The first thing you must do is meditate by focusing your chakra throughout your body." The sun was setting, and a gentle breeze swept past us. Christmas was a few days away, leaving the weather perfect.

"How do I do it?" I asked Itachi.

"Close your eyes and focus on your Inner voice, and be sure she is focusing on you." I closed my eyes and sighed. I could feel Itachi's eyes on me, making it hard for me to focus.

"I can't concentrate when you're staring."

"I apologize. It is something that cannot be helped when I am around you." I felt a blush rise to my cheeks, but I dismissed it and continued. As I did, I felt a small rise in chakra. Excited, I lost focus.

"Did you feel that?" Itachi nodded.

"Try again." There was an obvious amusement in his smooth voice. I consented and thought about my Inner. I could feel her more now than I ever have before, and it felt great.

"Now Sakura, I am going to enter your mind, and let me know if you can feel it." I slightly nodded.

A second later, I felt a small presence among my and my Inner's mind. I gasped and opened my eyes. Oh my god.

"I apologize. I did not mean for it to be overwhelming."

"N-No. I saw…you and your past." Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? How exactly did you see… how much?" Itachi stopped and frowned. His past was horrible…terrible. It was full of heat-break, death, deceit and tears. I could feel my own tears form in m eyes, but I blinked them back.

"U-Um…I'm sorry, let's try it again." I whispered. Itachi's mind re-entered mine in seconds, and I was able to withstand it. Itachi's past was engraved in my head, and I felt my own past and thoughts leaving my head to enter his.

'_**This is amazing!**_**'**my Inner exclaimed

' _I agree.'_ I froze. It was Itachi's voice, and when I opened my eyes, I found him smiling.

"Was that just…" he nodded. I could hear his mind in my head. That was so cool! I could feel the stupid grin plastered all over my face.

Itachi chuckled. "You can now block the minds, as well as mine if you wish not to talk."

"So how will I know to sniff the telepathic ones out?"

"Your Inner should be able to figure that out,"

So for the next hour, we went around the park, pointing out the telepathic vampires. Itachi was patient when I picked out the wrong ones, probably because he found me amusing. Ha. The sun hadn't moved since time was frozen, and I was enjoying myself more than I have in a long time. We sat under a tall tree, talking about vampires, which was more interesting than I ever thought possible.

"The Council kills the irresponsible guardians because they cannot focus on the task at hand. When a vampire is assigned someone to guard, it usually a good reason why. If something were to happen to you that resulted in your death, Sasuke would be severely punished.

"I always found it unfair. No one can control how they feel someone."

"But vampires are. They are trained to do so. But my brother was never one for self-control."

'_**I noticed.'**_My Inner muttered. My head snapped up when Itachi moved closer to me.

"Are you going to kill him?" I asked. Itachi shook his head, his bangs falling in front of his face. He tucked them behind his ear, only for the wind to blow them back.

"No I will not. I want Sasuke to live, as well as you. I believe if you become stronger than you already are, neither of you will die."

"So that makes you my guardian's guardian?"

"You can say that." Itachi smiled. I was still wondering why Itachi was much kinder than Sasuke was. Also why I was with him. He killed hundreds, maybe thousands…

"I promise you there is nothing to fret about. If someone does catch you, I will say I tied you up and threatened to kill you. They will believe that."

"Why? Why do you insist on being the bad person? Even when you're doing good?"

Itachi sighed. "You saw my past. I have already been classified as a Rogue. It is too late for me and there is no point ingoing back."

"It's never too late." I tried.

"Sakura, sweetheart, there is nothing worth arguing about. I am damned."

I shut up…reflecting on Itachi's past.

"Have you ever fallen in love?"

"Yes, I have."

"Was it the woman I saw with you?" Itachi nodded. His woman was beautiful. She had long black hair like he did, and even darker eyes. Her name was Alesa.

"What happened to her Itachi?" I pried.

"I was fleeing from the village…"

:

_**I bustled throughout the village. I could here the heavy pants I let out, and feel the blood run from my mouth and forehead. Footsteps were hitting the dirt as fast as I was.**_

"_**Itachi!" I heard Alesa call after me. I turned around and stopped. She caught up and stared at me with tears in her eyes.**_

"_**Don't you dare leave! Y-You didn't do i-it!"**_

"_**It is inevitable. I can't stay."**_

"_**Itachi, love, I cannot live without you beside me…" I felt another's presence approaching the two of us.**_

"_**Alesa, get down."**_

"_**No-" **_

"_**Alesa," I moved so I was in front of her. "Get down before someone sees you."**_

"_**I love you Itachi. If me being caught means I could die with you I will stay standing." I closed my eyes and took her hands in mine, kissing them.**_

"_**I cannot stay any longer."**_

"_**I know… Itachi! Get out the-"Alesa had pushed me aside and jumped in front of my tired body. I heard her gasp and I barely caught her when she fell back. She was pierced through the heart with an arrow meant for me.**_

"_**Ale…sa."**_

"_**Cursed war! R-Run my love. Staying will result in your death a-as well…" she smiled her stunning smile.**_

_**Alesa stroked my cheek before closing her eyes. I bent down to kiss her cold lips and whispered those final three words before fleeing.**_

_**: **_

"Alesa died from an arrow meant for me."

"Itachi, it isn't your fault." I could look in his eyes and tell he blamed himself for his lover's death. Itachi shook his head.

"It is fine Sakura. I have learned how to find new love."

"Who?" Itachi's eyes were red now. I felt his hand slide on top of mine on the grass.

"You." He whispered in my ear. I stiffened as Itachi brought his lips to mine. How the hell was I supposed to react? Was there a reaction he expected besides me getting tangled up with him in the grass, which I did anyways? Kissing Itachi was totally different from kissing Sasuke. Sasuke's kisses were hungry and rough, like he wanted it so bad, he couldn't control himself. Itachi's were soft and gentle, like if he kissed any harder I would break. But it didn't matter how hard Itachi's kisses were, because I was ready to burst right then and there. I loved the feeling. The way we exchanged thoughts through our connection while kissing at the same time sent shivers up my spine. For this, I cursed myself for what I was doing, kissing the enemy. But time was frozen, no one would know what happened, or even know I'd left the hospital room.

Good job Sakura.

Then I found another flaw in this whole wonderful experience. I knew I was going to have bruised lips when _**if **_we stopped. Of course Itachi read my thoughts and using his marvelous talent, he brought chakra to his lips.

'_**Damn, you're a lucky girl.'**_

'_I know.'_

'_Yes you are.'_

'_You really love me don't you?' _I thought.

'_I would not lie about something like that.'_

'_I know…' _I paused, finding multi-tasking difficult. _'I feel so bad.' _ I pulled away from Itachi, my face red.

"Why?"

"Because…I can't go from Sasuke to you and back to him again."

'_I feel like a whore.' _Was what I wanted to say aloud. Itachi frowned and narrowed his eyes.

'_Do not say such things. Everything is going to be okay, as long as I am here.'_

'_With me?'_

'_Yes, love. With you.'_

"Sakura, what're you...what're you doing?"

_'Sasuke?'_

**okay everybody. This may be the last update before school starts. DON'T BE MAD CUZ I'LL BE BACK SOONER THAN YOU THINK! i promise you that. AND DON'T BE MAD AT THE CLIFFHANGER…even though i'm mad myself. *****WHEW***** that was fun!**

**P.S if you didn't notice. there is a SakuXIta, SakuXSasu thing goin on...for now!**

**Aaah!**

**-JAZZ out**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chocolate R**__**oses**_

**Chapter 13**

_**WARNING:**_

**There is a scene of sensuality in this chapter! If your poor innocent eyes cannot comprehend, scroll down until it's over! Also, read the Author's Note at the end! Important.**

I absolutely froze at the sound of Sasuke's voice. I knew what he was seeing, a blush and me underneath Itachi with slightly red lips on my face. Itachi shot up and put a spell-like thing on Sasuke. He froze.

"Crap! Itachi, what just happened?"

"It would seem he got away from the genjutsu I put up."

"What now? He saw us!"

"Calm down, love." Itachi walked over to Sasuke and placed two fingers over his forehead. "He has not seen much." Moments after he said that, Itachi declared that he erased Sasuke's mind. "All he remembers is arriving at the park."

"Genius…wait, Itachi, what're you doing?" I asked him as he pulled out a rope from his back pocket. "You were serious."

"There is no other way." Itachi went behind me and tied my hands together. I winced.

"Is there any way you can make it looser?" I asked.

"No. Alright, the genjutsu will wear off in a second, and I want you to play along with me."

"No Itachi. This is the chance to prove you're not bad!"

"There are thousands of people who believe I am a bad person, but it doesn't affect me."

"It should…"

"Let her go!" I jumped at Sasuke's hard voice.

"Itachi don't do this." I looked away.

"Shut up!" he shouted at me. It was already too late. "It's nice to see you little brother."

"Why'd you bring her out here? Sakura, are you alright?" I glanced at him and slowly nodded.

"Does it help if I said I didn't want to fight?" Itachi chuckled.

"No." Then Itachi tossed me aside. It didn't hurt when I landed, but it sure did sound like it did.

Sasuke ran at Itachi and they fought. My human eyes couldn't keep up with their harsh movements, but I knew it was bad when the scent of blood filled my nose.

"Stop!" I cried at the both of them. They slowed down for a second and I saw the four claw marks on Itachi's cheek. Although the wound closed up almost instantly, the blood was still on his cheek…then it hit me.

Sasuke missed.

Sasuke was aiming to kill…aiming for Itachi's throat.

"Stop fighting!!" I screamed louder. I heard Itachi sigh, and just like that, he was gone.

'_Are you going to be gone long?' _I thought.

'_Yes. This was our last meeting.'_

'_What? Why- what're you talking about?'_

'_It is for the best. I will be watching.'_

'_No wait-'_

'_Goodbye Sakura.'_

And just like that, my mind went blank. I couldn't even remember what I was doing, except for the fact that Itachi told me to play along with his plan. Sasuke approached me and quickly untied my bonded hands.

'_Itachi?'_

"Are you okay?"

"Get away from me." I spat. "What do you care?"

"Come on." Sasuke grabbed my hands but I slapped them away.

"I said get away from me! I'm perfectly capable to stand by myself." I stood and stormed off. Sasuke, using his vampire skills, had no problem catching up again.

"Stop Sakura."

"Don't come to me with that! Why are you here with me when you have your wonderful Ami waiting for you? It's obvious everything I-I've done for you was for nothing. So just go somewhere to save us both the trouble."

"I'm not."

"Then don't you dare think I'll listen to a damned thing you say."

"I don't."

"Then why are you here? If all I do is 'get revenge', why do you bother wasting your time with such a crazy bitch?"

"I know you didn't do it to get revenge." I spun around to face Sasuke.

"Leave, or I will. It's pretty clear you had no problem making Itachi leave."

"Of course I made him leave. He kidnapped you!"

"No he didn't! I went with him and the only reason you found me tied up is because he didn't want you to be mad at me." Sasuke scoffed.

"Please-" I slapped Sasuke, getting his attention.

"Shut up already! Just shut up! You don't know what you're talking about. Itachi is a good man. He didn't even want to fight you Sasuke! Didn't you pick that up? Why do you think I'm not dead? He would never kill me, and you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because he cares about me. He trusts me enough to know that I would risk my life for you, something I'm sure you still don't know. And look Sasuke, if a damned mass-murder trusts me with a little respect for the people I love, and you don't, there's a problem. So you go ahead and stay with your little toy. She doesn't love you like she says she does. She's in it with someone else."

"And who's that?"

"I can't tell you that. But I know one thing Sasuke, when I turn up dead, she better be the first one you turn to."

"You've been kissing him." Sasuke stated simply.

"Who?"

"Itachi. I'm not stupid."

"It doesn't seem that way to me. Why would I kiss Itachi?" I asked in disbelief. I had no reason to kiss Itachi, so what was he talking about. "I'm sick and tired of your pointless accusations and I'd be very happy if you not talk to me."

Suddenly there was wetness on my cheek. I touched it, tears. Why was I crying? Yeah I was angry, but not sad. I sniffed.

"What the heck is wrong with me?"

"Sakura, I'm sorry."

"That's all you ever tell me. 'I' m sorry', 'I'll never do it again', 'I won't hurt you.' Well when are you going to live up to your promises? I can't help but think I'm being played here. Do you care or do you not? It's a yes or no question, Sasuke."

"Yes. I do."

I scoffed and shook my head. Wrong answer. "I knew you were gonna say that." I mumbled. "You always say something to make someone feel better, never the truth. Don't you see something wrong with that picture?" Sasuke grabbed my hand so I could face him.

"What the hell do you want from me?"

"I want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And make it quick because I'm two seconds from falling apart right now."

"Do you remember the day I told you I had feelings for you?"

"How could I forget? You hit me remember? And to think I actually believed the crap you were-"

"I don't know how to love you okay? The feelings I have for you drive me fucking crazy. I don't know when to hug you, or cry with you, or get my point across. I don't even know what I'm doing right now. I don't understand women whatsoever. I tell you something that's offensive without me knowing and when you confront me, I don't know how to retaliate, and it usually results in me doing something stupid to make you this mad at me. I need help because the only thing I know is that you're beautiful and the nicest person I've ever come across. I wish I could tell you how stunning you are, but I can't seem to find the right words. Every day that passes makes me realize how fortunate I am to have someone as gorgeous as you are. You really care about other people and how they feel before you even do what makes you happy.

"You're forgiving even when it's absolutely absurd. You're gentle, and a little insecure. But I'm letting you know…damn I hope I'm doing this right… I never regret becoming your guardian. I enjoyed watching you come out of your shell. Just looking at you now…your face just screams, '**Look at me, I'm confident, beautiful and proud of it.' **" I smiled and wiped my eyes. He was right.

"The way you look at everything, no not look, _stare_ at everything amazes me. You see them for what you believe, and not for what people around you say. If there was anyway I could prove that I will change, I would because I've never been so serious about something in my entire life. I don't know what else to say, But, I will settle with those simple words, hoping they will convey what I wanted to tell you for so long…" I felt the tears rise in my eyes.

"I love you."

**:**

It's been a week since Itachi left. Things between Sasuke and I had become quite tense. When I found myself looking at him, he glanced at me. I would turn away but when I glanced at him, he was staring.

It was Christmas, and I wasn't particularly in the Spirit. Midnight on the other hand was just as hyper as any other day. She couldn't get enough of Naruto, her buddy because of the fox demon, and Naruto returned the feelings. I shuffled down the stairs, yawning and plugging my ears because of Naruto's retched attempts at singing Christmas carols. I was beginning to think he was tone deaf, he had to be.

"…To be jolly, fa la la la la la la la-"

"Naruto, shut up." Sasuke muttered, a smirk on his face. Naruto ignored him and earned a pillow to his face by Sai.

"Tough crowd." Naruto sighed. I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. Sasuke, surprisingly, gave in first, letting out a low snicker. All laughter ceased when a sigh was heard.

Kakashi appeared from the kitchen, sweat on his brow and a disturbed expression on his face. He even wore an apron that said _Kiss the Vamp_. Then the smell of food filled my nostrils.

"Kakashi, did you just cook?" I asked astonished. If he did, that would have been impressive.

"Of course not." He disappeared and came back with McDonald's bags in his hand. "Do you know how long the damned drive thru was? I tried going inside but this elderly woman decided to take an hour ordering."

"Then why are you wearing an apron if you didn't cook?"

"I thought it would add to the Christmas effect."

"Right…" I laughed.

"Ding dong!" I recognized the singsong voice as Miss Kushina. I went to open the door and she stepped in, her hands filled with presents.

"Hello Sakura. Merry Christmas…" Kushina placed all the gifts down and sighed. "Why's everybody so gloomy…wait…don't tell me Naruto started singing."

"'Afraid so." Neji muttered.

Kushina suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh that's horrible! You should've seen him when he was a child! Naruto would run around-"

"Ma…" Naruto warned.

"He would run around with his underwear on his head, rub his father's shaving cream on his face, slip on his favorite red slippers and say he was Naked Santa while singing."

Hinata's mouth fell open while she rested her head on Naruto's arm. They really began hitting it off lately, and when I say really, I mean really.

"That is so embarrassing…" Naruto muttered. I was laughing my head off by that time.

"That is so Naruto…" Sasuke muttered. I nodded as Sai patted Naruto's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it Naruto-" Sai couldn't even keep his stoic composure, and he began laughing.

"Ma… that's not fair. I don't even have anything on everyone else." He was just mad because Hinata had to hear it, although his expression showed he found it hilarious as well.

"Oh wait… Sasuke." Naruto's face brightened. Sasuke's head snapped up and turned to Naruto.

"Don't even think about it."

"Well everybody," Naruto stood, a grin plastered on his face. "I've known Sasuke for as long as I could remember. And one day when we were six, My ma and dad were having a welcome home party because my dad had just come home from the war. Everyone was invited so Sasuke and his mother came."

"Naruto, shut up."

"Anyway, while Sasuke and I were sitting in a corner at the back of the house, he saw a little hole in the wall. Told him not to mess with it, but he ignored it and started hitting his hand against it so the paint and wall started chipping off." Kushina giggled while Sasuke sighed.

"The hole eventually got big enough so he could stick his hand inside it. Meanwhile, I was calling him absolutely stupid for sticking his hand in an unknown hole. When I saw his face light up, I thought he'd lost his mind until he told me he found something. He pulled out and it was a baby snake. I wanted to touch it but Sasuke wasn't really diggin' the thing. Sasuke was holding the snake wrong, and when it began wiggling out his hand, he caught it, and it bit him."

Sasuke made a noise and closed his eyes.

"So Sasuke starts freaking out. He's screaming and running around the house while crying his little eyes out. While he's shaking his hand to get the snake off his finger his mom comes behind him and takes the snake off."

I smiled and giggled to myself.

"Wait. The snake falls on the floor and starts slithering away. Sasuke's pissed and he starts screaming again. He says, '_The snake is evil. It must die a slow painful death!!' _so he gets a plate and throws it at it. It doesn't die of course so he runs and jumps on it. When he looked on his shoe, it was ripped in half and squirming. That was about all Sasuke could handle because he ran up, tripped and landed in the celebration cake."

Sasuke sighed when everyone began laughing hysterically.

"Let's open the presents now." Sasuke muttered. I moved next to him and smiled.

"Nothing to worry about. You were a kid."

"A very stupid kid. Worse than Naruto."

"Well you should've listened to me. And by the way, look up." I glanced up and frowned.

"Naruto…" I fumed. Sasuke glanced up as well and made another noise.

"Damn." Right in between Sasuke and I was a mistletoe. I really hated those things.

"Come on Sasuke. Make the move on your girl." Sasuke rolled his onyx eyes and bent down to kiss me. I guess you could say Sasuke and I were a piece. We were definitely closer than we ever have been, minus the tension.

"Satisfied?" I asked. Naruto and Hinata nodded. Shikamaru bust through the door with bags in his hands. He looked exhausted and pissed off.

"You okay?" I asked. He growled.

"I don't wanna talk about it. Temari called and she said she would drop buy later on."

"Alright, thanks."

"Yeah, yeah. I need a smoke." Shikamaru was muttering something on his way out the door. It sounded like, "I hate this vampire job." Hinata laughed and shook her head. With Kakashi's permission, I told my friends about everything. From vampires to confessions. To no surprise, they were cool with it and had a lot of unanswered questions.

"Presents. Now." Sasuke said.

"You sure are eager to open presents aren't you?"

"Yeah." Sasuke wrapped his arm around my waist. "Just wait."

:

For Naruto, I gave him a gift card for 500 dollars so he could get ramen, and chopsticks with his name engraved in them. He like it, I knew he would.

I got Shikamaru a glass chess/checkers board. When he was alone, he liked to sit and play himself in the game. He said it would teach him how to take down his opponents much easier.

For Neji, I got him the Anne Rice vampire series. He never read them, but he said he could get interested. Along with that, every vampire book

For Kakashi, he earned himself a recipe book with step-by-step instructions on how to make your dish.

And lastly, I got Sai an Italian Battat wooden easel. It was portable, and perfect for him because of his artistic ability.

Sasuke's present was coming later.

:

"Alright Sakura, it's time to go see your final gift."

"Go see?"

"Yup. Sasuke, you can do the honors." I stood, as did Sasuke. He told me to close my eyes and he led me outside.

"When I say open, open."

"Okay…" I didn't bother trying to hide the excitement in my voice.

"Open." I blinked and opened my eyes, then screamed.

"Oh my god!" In front of me was a Silver Ferrari f430. I approached it and ran my fingers along the side. It was beautiful with the black interior.

"It's from all of us, but mainly Sasuke because he paid the most." I threw my arms around all of them thanking and squeezing tight.

"This is so amazing. Thank you!" Lucky for me, I'd gotten my driver's license a month earlier. This baby was ready for a test run!

"Not yet Sakura. You should get dressed. Your friends'll be here soon." Kakashi told me. I was reluctant to leave the Silver Bullet but I did. We all kind of fell into place at our own speed. Naruto went to the store to get ramen, Shikamaru had another cigarette, Kakashi was flipping through the book and Neji through his. Sai disappeared somewhere, and Hinata went back to hide. And Sasuke, on my command, was following me up the stairs. I led him to his room and asked if I could use his bathroom.

He let me, as planned, and I walked in there. I quickly flipped my phone open and signaled for Ino and Hinata to come inside through the window.

Ino appeared with a plastic bag, and Hinata with a bag of make up. I threw off my pajamas and threw on the red, satin mini dress Ino picked out. It was perfect the way it hugged my body. I also slipped on the red 3-inch heels I kept for fun. They never fit too big or small.

"Sakura? You okay?" Sasuke called out to me.

"Y-Yeah. Hold on." Ino smiled and put my hair up in a cute up-do while Hinata did my makeup. Then they were done.

"Good luck!" Ino and Hinata whispered before disappearing out the window again. I looked up in the mirror. Oh, yeah, this was definitely the type of present Sasuke was looking for. I wanted to do something to repay him for EVERYTHING, and I decided we could both enjoy ourselves since we were technically going out. I sighed. This was Ino's smart idea, and I was so freakin' scared, I could feel my heart jumping out of my chest. I put my hand on the knob and opened.

"Finally…"Sasuke trailed off as his eyes popped out of his head. "Wow."

I blushed and looked above his head. Another damned mistletoe. Sasuke looked up and his eyebrows rose. I think he figured it out. I walked over to the bed and smiled.

"I wanted to thank you, and this is the only thing that popped in my head." I said. Sasuke smiled and pulled me to his chest.

"Oh really?"

"Really." I stood up on my toes and kissed Sasuke's lips. I backed away slightly, but Sasuke crashed his lips back on mine. A surprised squeal escaped my lips, but I pushed myself back against him, running my hands up along Sasuke's shoulders and into his hair. His own hands had moved to my sides as he deepened the kiss, biting at my bottom lip. My mouth opened immediately, allowing his tongue entrance.

Sasuke broke the kiss for a moment to push me back on the bed. He moved over me, staring at my flushed cheeks and lust filled emerald eyes.

:

I watched the blushing woman underneath me, studying her soft lips, stunning eyes, and her soft pink hair that was sprawled out over my black pillow. She took the rubber band out of her hair.

Sakura waited anxiously under me, trying to calm herself down and breathe after what just happened.

I pulled my shirt over my head.

I heard Sakura's heart skip a beat when she saw what I was doing.

"Sasuke-"

"Shh. I know." Sakura leaned on her elbows, and it was obvious she was nervous. She kicked her heels off, her hands shaking and trembling.

I was straddling her waist, and I couldn't help but smirk at her. Then she froze when she brushed against my torso.

She instinctively reached out to touch me, her delicate fingers tracing along an invisible path down my chest and abs.

I grabbed her hand to regain her attention, and then leaned down to kiss her again. Sakura tilted he head back and sighed, wrapping her arms around my neck. Sakura kissed me back and pressed herself closer to me, not wasting any space.

Sakura was nervous, still, but I knew if I took control enough, she would absolutely forget. I also knew she was foreign to this kind of passion, but all was good.

Her left hand was holding my neck while the other was clasped around my back. This time it was I that was forced to open my mouth when she licked my bottom lip. She moaned into me as our tongues intertwined. She pulled away from me and brought her lips to my ear.

"Ino told me guys liked s-surprises like this." She whispered.

"Ino was right."

:

I hated myself when I got this nervous. My hands were sweaty, and clammy that appeared quite often when I felt Sasuke's lips sliding down my neck. His hair tickled my skin. The feeling made me tremble even more. It didn't make since, this wasn't the first time I'd been in this kind of situation, but my inexperience shined through every single time. It was as if the shy and innocent little girl I once was, was still holding tightly to her, and strangling me actually. As hard as it was, I wanted to let go and be free.

I let my hands travel down Sasuke's bare back. And then I moaned when I felt Sasuke nip at the base of my neck. His fangs brushed against my skin, and I wondered if he was going to bite me.

Sasuke's steady hands pulled the strap of my mini dress down my shoulder, and then traveled to the back to unzip it. He was really making my abstinence rule hard to maintain. I wanted him and he wanted me, but I knew we had to wait.

He moved down to my chest, completely moving my dress down. Just then, I felt a tingling sensation where his lips were, sending a shock throughout my body. I pressed my lips together to keep from crying out.

"W-What…" Sasuke brought chakra to his lips and pressed them against my breasts. I was scared now. I wondered if everything was okay with me because, never feeling this before, there was a hot, heavy feeling in between my legs. He was making this way too hard, but I didn't want him to stop.

I closed my eyes. Ino also told me that if this were to happen, go with the flow, but if I didn't want it, stop him before it went too far. Sasuke did it again and my back arched, not being able to hold my moan. I stiffened slightly when his hands made his way to my waist, pulling me up so I was straddling him. I was glad there was only one light source in his room, which was next to his bed. He was comfortable in the dark, obviously, but I wasn't comfortable when he stared at me the way he did. What if he didn't like what he saw?

But it didn't matter, because what I was trying to hide was pressed against his chest.

"Sasuke…" I whispered. He grunted and backed away, showing me his blood red eyes.

"Your blood." He said low. "Please." Sasuke's voice was pleading, and it nearly broke my heart. He wanted my blood right now, and while he was pleasuring me at that. Was I like all the other girls who came into Sasuke's room to be pleasured? What Naruto labeled as a _'blood whore'_?

"Sas…"

"Dammit… Sakura…" was he in pain? I froze and bit my lip. I didn't want him hurting. After further pondering, I managed to nod my head.

Sasuke sighed and sunk his fangs in swiftly, as to not make it painful. I grabbed the back of his head and gasped.

"Sasuke!" I whispered heavily. The hot and heavy feeling I felt before was definitely stronger than it was before he bit me. The hormones were taking over, Sasuke was sliding his hands up my leg, and all thoughts of the word, abstinence were washed from my mind. I wanted him now.

It was Christmas, and I was going to get what I wanted.

**This is it everybody. The last chapter until the weekend…maybe, cuz of those damned report cards… sigh…well yeah. Sasuke gets one hell of a Christmas present…even though I'm kinda late. Oh well, I had fun…Okay. I need you guys to tell me what I should do next. If I get a few ideas before tomorrow, I can start typing sooner than usual. I'll leave the choices up to ya'll, and make sure they're a little long and detailed.**

**-Jazz Out**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 14**

Before I could even position myself so I was comfortable and on top, there was a noise in the room. Sasuke froze and my shaking hands moved from his belt.

Sasuke gently pulled his fangs out and his head snapped up. "Who's there?"

"A shame?" there was a swift movement and before I knew it, a man was standing in the room. I was dazed, angry and couldn't move. I could feel Sasuke sliding the straps of my dress back up. He zipped the back and stood in front of the man.

"Who the hell are you?" he growled. He was as tall as he was and stared him in the eye.

"You don't need to know. You don't need to be in my way either, so step aside, kid, and let me see the human." Sasuke turned to me.

"Do you know him?" he asked. I stared a moment before shaking my head.

"Exactly, so you can leave or I'll make you."

"You sure do love a disobedient young girl." I froze and opened my mouth.

"No I didn't-"

"Don't. It's too late now." Then he was gone.

"Sakura, what was he talking about?"

"I-I don't know anything." I lied. I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Alright." Sasuke sighed. "Come on." Sasuke grabbed my hand and pulled me off the bed.

"What just happened?" I whispered.

"Nothing to worry about. Go ahead to your room and I'll see you in a second." He kissed my forehead as I slowly wandered to my room. I slammed the door closed and leaned on it for support. When I asked Sasuke what happened, I wasn't talking about that man. I was talking about _us_. I knew it was a bad idea. I shuffled to the bathroom and started the shower. When I got in, I tried to wash away all the dirtiness I felt, especially down there.

'**What's wrong?'**

'_I was…I was too close to having sex with him Inner. Way to close.'_

'**Sakura…'**

'_I'm never doing that again. I'm not ready.' _I slid down in the shower, sitting on the warm floor. I hugged my knees and tried to keep from crying. It didn't work. _'I don't know what came over me, but I hated it.'_

'**It's ok-'**

'_No it isn't Inner.' _I finished my shower then blow-dried and straightened my hair. I threw on the little black dress Tenten let me borrow and my black flat shoes. I glanced at the time, it was almost 2:30, and the day was going way too fast. When I was at the middle of the stairs, the doorbell rang. Naruto went to answer it and when he did, Ami in all her evil glory stepped in. I froze.

"Where's Sasuke?" she demanded. Naruto closed the door.

"Hello to you too."

"I'm not playing with you Naruto. Where is he?" Ami turned to me and smiled. I glared at her, wondering what she was planning. I never told Sasuke anything about her and the vampire she was with. But Sasuke believed me when I told him about the phone call incident. But now she was in this house, and God knew what she was planning to do with me.

"Do _you_ know where he is?" she asked with a smirk.

"In his room." Ami walked in my direction and made it to the step in front of me to whisper in my ear.

"You should've listened. You're in deep shit now Pinky."

:

I was giddy at the thought at Sakura's punishment. I would be a vampire soon, and they could be put to good use. I found Sasuke in his room. He just threw his shirt over his head and I wished he kept it off.

"Hey Sasuke!" I said cheery and happily. He glowered at me.

"What?" he asked. I stepped inside the room and Sasuke stood to push me out/

"Merry Christmas baby." I grinned and glanced around his big room. I missed it in here. Then, as I looked down, I found red, very cute, very stylish 3-inch heels next to Sasuke's bed.

"Who's are these?" I asked suspiciously.

"Sakura's. Look Ami, you need to leave. Right-"

"Sakura's?" My voice didn't hide the disbelief. "What…what was she doing in here…?"

"It doesn't concern you." I froze and stared at the sexy vampire in front of me. His black collared shirt was ruffled slightly and the sheets and covers were scattered.

"What the hell…were you…fucking her?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"If I was or wasn't, it wouldn't matter to you." I could feel Sakura's presence back in the house.

"Yes the hell it does! After that stunt she pulled-"

"You lied about it Ami. I have it all figured out."

"What, no I didn't! I didn't know what happened until you came knocking at my window! Whatever that bitch told you was a fucking lie!" I shouted in his face.

"I think you need to go."

"I'm far more gorgeous than that bitch is. I love you and I'll do anything for you. I told you now, and I told you that that night. Don't you remember that Sasuke? You even said you loved me too." My face softened and my voice became lower.

"No, I don't remember." I fumed and gripped my black Donna Karan pouch.

"Don't do this to me Sasuke. Just the thought…just the thought of you being with that thing you call _beautiful _makes me sick! I want you back. I want all of you back."

Sasuke sighed. "I love Sakura, not you."

"You don't mean that." I dropped my pouch and moved so I was pressed against him. "Show me how much you love me Sasuke. I'm ready for you." Those lips I loved frowned as he pushed me back.

"Don't embarrass yourself. Leave at least with a little pride." I was on the verge of tears.

"Dammit Sasuke! Why can't you love me?"

"Because I love Sakura. You came too late." I knew exactly what he meant. If Sakura Haruno hadn't come along, I would be the one wearing those heels. _I_ would be the one in his arms, kissing those lips. _I_ would be the one in that bed. But I knew one thing. _I_ would be the one to kill her.

I turned and ran out his room. Sakura was downstairs. I saw her standing silently, so calm when she knew what was going to happen. She looked up at me when she felt my glare. I went up to her and growled.

"You'd better watch yourself today."

"Whatever Ami. Just take the rejection and go." I clenched my fist and punched her as hard as I could, right in her face. She staggered backwards and wiped her mouth.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you Sakura! I swear I am-" Naruto grabbed me arms and forcefully held me down. "Get off of me! Let me go!"

"Calm down Ami. Calm down and you can leave." He said. Naruto's voice was calm.

"Ami, you need to stop!" Sakura screamed. "Terrorizing me isn't going to solve a damned thing."

"Cam, DO IT NOW!" I screamed as loud as I could. Cam dropped appeared in the house and stood tall and confident. Kakashi ran at Cam, but suddenly froze.

"Now? As you wish." Cam raised his hands and a mist appeared around him, beginning to engulf the room. The grip from Naruto loosened and he collapsed. Neji, Sai, Shikamaru and Kakashi did the same. I stood and stepped over Naruto's unconscious body.

"What did you do?" Sakura cried when she bent down to shake Neji. Cam knocked every vampire within a ten-mile radius out. Nothing could stop me now.

"Miss Ami, four humans are approaching."

"Get them and take them to the house. But first, give it to me." Cam smiled and went up to me and sunk his fangs in my neck. I gasped and smiled. I felt the venom in my body. I shook and screamed. When he pulled out of me minutes later, he held me up.

"Well?" I giggled and grabbed Cam's head and snapped it back so his neck was exposed. I then bit into his pale neck. I heard a distinct gasp from Sakura. I was a vampire now, and the blood was amazing. I wouldn't have stopped if Cam didn't push me back.

"It's done." He said. I nodded and sighed loudly. I heard more than before. The lights from the ceiling were brighter; the shine from the chandelier was more vivid. I could hear everything around me, even the mowing of the lawn down the street. Oh yeah, I could get used to this. Sakura stood shaking, confused.

"Ami, you didn't." she whispered.

"Yeah, I did." I smiled and ran up to her. Except…it was more like a flash. Sakura gasped and backed away from me.

"There's no running now Pinky. It's time."

"No…A-Ami don't-" I grabbed her by her neck and squeezed. She grabbed my wrists and choked for air.

"It's your fault. Your fault… you should've stayed away from my Sasuke. He's mine and you took him. Sasuke said it himself Sakura. If you didn't come along, he would've been with me!"

"I'm so…sorry."

"Shut up!" I dropped Sakura and kicked her. The blood rose to her mouth as she rolled backwards. Her face hit the hardwood as she coughed and attempted sitting up.

"I'm sick of your mouth!" I kicked her again and Sakura cried out. Finally…now was my chance.

:

Ami hovered over me and grabbed my hand. Cam, the man from before, came in with my friends. They were struggling to get away from him, but froze when they saw the boys on the ground unconscious and me in the grip of Ami.

"What the fuck are you doing Ami!" Temari shouted. Ami snapped her fingers and three big vampires appeared.

"Abel gets Hinata. You two watch the others." Hinata's eyes widened and my friends stepped in front of her.

"Don't touch her." Ino spat out. Cam pushed Hinata forward and Abel grabbed her.

"Stop!" I screamed. "Put her down, don't touch her!" Ami spun around to face me and tightened her grip on my arm. I gritted my teeth then screamed when I heard an unnatural popping sound. At first, I didn't feel it, then I did. Ami threw me against the mirror on the wall and I felt the glass bayonet my skin. The blood ran down my forehead and I collapsed to the ground. Before I could react, she threw me against the wall.

'_Sakura.'_

'_I…Itachi?'_

'_I will be there soon. I am on my way.'_

'_Hurry Itachi. Please.'_

"Hold on Ami. I wanna get this one." Cam smiled. Ami smiled and stepped aside. I stared teary-eyed and wide at Cam. He was bigger and stronger than Ami, and it terrified me. Cam pulled out a small camera from his pocket.

"They call me Cam for my amazing camera skills. I love watching my victims squirm."

"Dirty Rogue!" I cried.

"Such harsh words for someone as classy as you are. Ami, come hold her down." I tried to back away, but Ami abided and grabbed my hands. I couldn't feel the one she broke though. It wouldn't matter if she didn't hold that one down. Cam began punching my stomach, even though it hadn't completely healed from the last incident. When he got bored, he went for my face. Ami enjoyed that the most.

"Let's see how much Sasuke loves your face when I rearrange it." I couldn't scream any longer. It felt like every hit to the stomach costed me a rib, and one to the face added to the bloody nose and mouth and the blackness of my eye. But luckily, my body became numb, a long time ago. Abel was doing the same thing to Hinata, just by himself. But the poor thing was already unconscious.

"I-If you're g-gonna kill me, d-do it already!!" I screamed.

"Don't worry, we will. " Ami laughed. I heard a scream, and it belonged…it belonged to Sasuke. He was in the living room, and two vampires were staring him in the eyes.

"Illusion." Cam muttered.

"Stop!!" I screamed. Ami clamped a hand over my mouth and I fought against Cam. I could feel an unknown chakra engulfing my body. I stopped screaming and struggling. My canines extended, giving me fangs. I growled then kicked Cam off of me. I grabbed the arm Ami was holding me with and threw her against Cam. I stood as my arm began healing. The feeling came back and all of my other injuries were healed. I was growling now, and couldn't possibly control the power I was feeling.

'_I'm here.'_

Ami's eyes were wide then she ran at me with a killer's intent. I yelled and grabbed her fist when she aimed a punch at my face. I squeezed it and twisted it around her back. I pushed her on the ground and stepped on her back.

"I'm going to kill you! You don't deserve to live, especially after everything you've done!" I grabbed a spare stake from the drawer next to me and pressed it against Ami's back. Cam got on his feet and inched forward.

"Don't move or I'll kill her right now. Don't move! You two get away from Sasuke. And Abel, put Hinata down!" The two vampire men backed away from Sasuke and Abel dropped Hinata. They were Rogues and I knew Ami called the shots.

"Sakura, this isn't funny. Get off of me or I swear. I'll just send more vampires and they'll kill you and everybody else in this goddammed house!"

"Do it Ami. I dare you." I pressed the stake at the back of her neck. "Do it! Call more vampires!!"

"Sakura." I heard a smooth voice mutter. It wasn't Ami or the other vampires. Sasuke was unconscious. I looked around and growled.

"Who is that!" I asked Ami. She shook her head. Her skin brushed against the sharp edge of the stake and grazed the skin.

"Sakura." Itachi. He appeared beside me, bent down and gripped my hand.

"Don't." he whispered.

"Don't touch me!" I hissed, baring my fangs.

"This is not you Sakura." I swung at Itachi, leaving a claw mark on his cheek.

"Don't fucking touch me!!" I screamed. My friends were frozen. They didn't know if they were supposed to be angry or terrified…but neither did I. I was slowly losing control.

"Sakura, it is okay. Drop it." Ami whimpered and sniffed as she began crying.

"No."

"Drop the stake." My hand shook and I threw the stake on the ground. Ami crawled away and ran to Cam. I sunk to my knees and gripped my head.

"Dammit!" I exclaimed in my shaking voice. I was so close. The monstrous girl would have been no more.

"Why Itachi?" I spun around, stood, and grasped his shoulders. "Why did you do it!"

"The vampire trait was taking over your body. I could not let you do something that you would not do if you were in your real state of mind." He said this calmly, which upset me even more.

"Look what she did! Look at Sasuke and Hinata and everyone else. She has to die and I won't let you stop me!" I backed away from him and tried to move away from his outstretched hand. He was too fast and he grabbed me again.

"No, let me go Itachi! I want to kill her! You don't know what you talking about. This is me! I'm Sakura Haruno and I want to kill Ami. I want to kill her!"

"Shh." Itachi embraced me and I kicked him.

"No!"

"I am here Sakura." I froze and melted in his arms.

"Itachi…"

"I am here." He repeated with a sigh.

"Oh…I'm so sorry!" I cried. Itachi hugged me tighter and I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I know. Everything is going to be fine now. I will get you out of-" I heard Itachi make a noise and he quickly pulled away. Everything after that happened in slow motion. Itachi grabbed my arm and threw me aside as he jumped in front of me. A stake appeared from underneath his cloak and he thrusted forward. Ami stood in front of Itachi in a half-crouch. The two of them were still.

"I-Itachi?" I whispered. I picked myself off the floor and approached the two. There was a bulge in Ami's shirt, then blood. I gasped. He just stabbed her. Ami choked a scream and backed up.

"No!!" she screamed. "I-It wasn't supposed to happen this way!" she fell to the ground and rolled over to face Sasuke, who was just opening his eyes. "Sasuke, help me…come on Sasuke!" Sasuke just stared at her and closed his eyes, looking away.

"Oh Sasuke…" she whispered as she closed her eyes. Ami was dead. I smiled involuntarily and went to Itachi. He was smiling as well. He sat on the ground and chuckled.

"You did it Itachi! Oh thank you. Thank you so much." I bent down next to him and hugged him tightly. Itachi made a gurgling noise and I quickly pulled away. When Itachi opened his mouth, blood trickled out.

"No…" I whispered. I turned back to Ami whose stake was drenched in blood. Itachi's blood. I ripped off Itachi's cloak and stopped dead in my tracks. He was wearing a white T-shirt, which was soaked in blood. A small gaping hole was in between his chest. Not at his heart.

"Oh my god. I-I-Itachi." Itachi smiled.

"I am sorry love." He winced as the blood flowed when he talked. "She w-would have killed you."

"No, no, no please stop talking Itachi. You're going to be okay." I touched the wound lightly and flinched away. "I know a few healing moves…Tsunade taught me. I-I'll help you."

" I am sorry." Was all he said.

"Don't die Itachi!" I cried. Sasuke stood, wide-eyed.

"Tell S-Sasuke I did not kill the family…or N-Naruto's. I-It was a shape shifter."

"No, you can tell him yourself Itachi. Live a-and prove you are good." It, the stake, did not go through his heart. He was going to be okay…he _had_ to be okay. Itachi spat up blood and panted. As I cried, fumbling with what to do, two Akatsuki members appeared. The blonde, Deidara, went to the boys who were still unconscious. Sasori, the red head, went to Hinata and began healing her.

Itachi sighed. I was pushing every bit of my chakra into his body, and it wasn't a lot.

"S-Sakura…there…"Itachi took a deep breath. "There is nothing y-you can do. You h-have stopped the pain." I shook my head again.

"I don't want to lose you too." I sobbed. Itachi blinked for a long time and I thought those eyes would not open again.

"And so both Uchiha brothers fall in love w-with the same young human…and three hearts end up broken."

"There is so much more you have to teach me Itachi. You're the only person who understands me…please don't leave." Itachi's red eyes turned black now, but they were slowly closing.

"I-I love…you Sakura…" I kissed his cold lips and memories from the park flooded back to me. It was the first time we kissed and the first time he told me he loved me.

'_Forgive me'_

"I-I love you Itachi!" his eyes completely closed. His cold body shifted and his hand fell from my own. My wild tears fell upon his face.

'_Where do you think I am going? Heaven or Hell?'_

'**Heaven.' **My Inner answered for me. I couldn't make out any words. He asked me the same question at the park. I was leaning on Itachi's shoulder as he asked me.

**:**

'_Heaven.' _I'd answered.

'**Why? I am not a good man.'**

'_Yes you are. If there is anybody who deserves to be in a place where all sins are forgiven, it is you. I believe you are a beautiful person, inside and out.' _And Itachi smiled at me. It was a different kind of smile. One that was filled with hope.

'**Thank you Sakura. That means more than you think.'**

**:**

"Itachi? Don't…d-don't…die." My voice was pleading. "I need you…I-Itachi. Itachi!!" But he was already gone from me. He was gone.

**Well I have nothing to say except the fact that I cried a little…Imagine that…Jazz and nothing to say. Be afraid.**

**-Jazz Out**


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 15**

She said she loved him…and he said he loved her. And they both kissed right in front of me. I saw it… how much had I missed when she was with Itachi? How much did they do before even confirming it with me? It pissed me off because whatever they had was something I could never have. I longed for a relationship with Sakura, and one that didn't involve sex, blood or fighting, and it was clear that was the relationship she had with Itachi.

I also knew Sakura was happy when she was around him, even when they both knew they were risking everything. If Itachi made Sakura happy, I was fine with it. But now he was dead. He saved Sakura and gave his life when hers was in trouble. He proved he wasn't a bad person. Itachi even confessed that he did not kill our parents or Naruto's mother…why the hell did he go on being the bad person? All he had to do…all he had to do was tell the Council he didn't do it, and he could be with us right now. But he didn't. He was stupid enough to believe that if someone thought he did it, it was true. I couldn't believe this. I dedicated my life to kill this man. I was blinded by rage, anger…sorrow. But now he was here. Right in front of me. I should be jumping for joy, right? I now had Sakura to myself. Wrong.

It broke my heart to see my innocent brother dead, and under the girl I loved the most. It broke my heart to see Sakura crying and screaming for Itachi to come back. And it sure as hell broke my heart to know that everything that just happened…right here and now… was my fault.

That's when I realized that there was just a teeny bit of hope left. I could scarcely feel Itachi's descending chakra. I could still perform the transfer. I sighed and made my way to Sakura.

"Sakura."

"No, g-go away."

"Move, and make it quick." I touched Sakura's shoulder and she jumped.

"Leave me alone! Get away-" I grabbed her shoulders and shook them violently.

"Listen to me Sakura! I can save him!" I growled. Sakura froze and her mouth fell open.

"What? You…you can?"

"Yes. Now move over." Sakura backed away and I pressed my ear to Itachi's chest. Nothing. I took a deep breath and turned to Sakura. "This isn't going to be pretty. When I pass out, I want you to watch over me."

"Why are you going to-"

"There's a high chance it'll be a long time before I wake up. Just watch my back." I brought chakra to my hands and pressed them to Itachi's head. I then closed my eyes and tried to sense his mind. There was a tiny hint, and I focused the chakra on it.

"**Ich, Uchiha Sasuke Uchiha Fugaku Sohn und Erbe des Uchiha Thron wird der Soul-Transfer. Die Stelle von Itachi Uchiha liegt vor mir seine Seele wird mir, wenn die Befugnisse der Götter wünschen zu zerstören, meine Seele Itachi Uchiha wird mein durch die ich in diese Hände, Ich werde mit der die Übertragung "**

**-English-**

"I, Sasuke Uchiha, son of Fugaku Uchiha and heir to the Uchiha throne will perform the Soul Transfer. The body of Itachi Uchiha lies before me. His soul will become mine. If the powers of the Gods wish to destroy my soul, Itachi Uchiha will take my place. By the power I hold in these hands, I will commence the transfer."

Itachi's soul was in my hands now. I sighed quietly and removed my hand from his head. There was a small ball in my hands. It was full of chakra and, quickly, I pressed my hand to my head. I stiffened and gasped in pain as Itachi's thoughts were flooding my mind. I saw his past, the present, Sakura, the family and me. It was never ending.

"Sasuke! Sasuke are you okay?" I heard Sakura scream. I was frozen. Itachi's mind and soul were taking over. My brain wouldn't function and my eyes were wide open. I could see Sakura shaking me, but I could not feel it. I could hear her screaming, but I could not speak back. "Sasuke, can you hear me? If you hear me, do something. Please…" she was crying and I hated it. Then I felt, a shock of…what was it… electricity. A shiver shot up my spine, and everything stung. I screamed and fell forward. Sakura was gripping my hand while screaming for Naruto to come help. Apparently he was awake.

"Sasuke…w-what do you want me to do? What do I do?" The feeling in my body was slowly coming back. My fangs were appearing on their own, and that wasn't a good sign at all. I gritted my teeth to keep from scaring her any more than she already was.

"Sakura," my voice was low and broken. I was in unbelievable pain, but I didn't want to show it. I couldn't…not to her. "Please go."

"What- what about what you told me? You said to watch you when you-" I growled when the burning sensation intensified. It was the Cursed Seal, given to me as a punishment four years ago. At times, it restricted me from any activity at all, only leaving me in pain. And it was happening again.

"Don't be stupid. Go."

"No. I'm not leaving you."

"God…" I whispered. The fear was clear in my voice.

"What?"

"I can't see…I can't…see." Sakura sniffed and squeezed my hand.

"What are you doing Sasuke?"

"I-I'm replacing part of my mind with Itachi's. But his mind is taking over completely."

"Why did you..."

"Because I saw the two of you. W-Who the fuck am I to break the two of you up? This is my fault, and I'm willing to sacrifice myself. If my death results in you h-happiness w-with Itachi, so b-be it." My body shivered and Sakura squeezed tighter.

"Dammit Sasuke. That's stupid!"

I didn't respond.

"Itachi made me happy, and I love him. But it's still different from the way I…" she trailed off. "I need Itachi…but I want you just as much. And now…I'll lose you too? I can't go through so much" I gritted my teeth again, but couldn't stop the cry of pain that shot out of my mouth. It was it. I'd lost total control.

"Sakura, do me this favor. If you don't you'll get hurt. Please go." My fingernails became claws and my vision immediately came back. I attempted to blink back my Sharingan, but it came back with full force. Sakura stepped back. The fangs were out now, and I lusted for blood. Someone's in particular. The Seal began spreading throughout my entire body, leaving the ominous tattoos.

"Sasuke?" I didn't answer her. Her blood smelled so good. It was screaming out to me, and I stood. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just fine." I smiled at her and grabbed her loose hand. Before she could react, I pulled her down to the floor and sat on top of her to prevent her from getting up again. She yelped and kicked me.

"Get off Sasuke. Y-You're heavy."

"Ah, but Sasuke isn't here anymore. Let's just say I'm his better half." I smirked to show my fangs, and her eyes widened in terror, realizing what I was going to do.

"Please…" I ignored the annoying plea and bent down to bite her. She screamed only because I didn't bother making it painless. Her hands grabbed my head to push me off as she screamed and cried. I pinned them to her sides and continued drinking. It was amazing, and I was so close… no I did it. I drank almost every bit of that delicious blood. I was full and completely satisfied when I got off of Sakura. She was laying still with her chin tilted upwards, the blood still flowing from her neck. Her eyes were wide and I guessed she was dead. I touched her wrist then her bloody neck. Definitely dead. I glanced around to look at the scene. A blood bath. There were five girls in the corner crying and shaking. One of them shot out and went to Sakura, and I stepped aside.

"Oh my god! Oh god, you killed her." I shrugged it off and looked at Naruto. He hadn't quite gotten up enough to assess the situation.

"Long time no see Uzumaki." He looked at me, then at Sakura and the brown-haired girl.

"Shit." He stood, wobbling a bit. "Tenten is she…"

"Gone. She's dead." She whispered. I took a wild guess and decided she was too much in shock to scream or cry. A normal woman couldn't hold herself together.

"Son of a bitch." Naruto hissed. I could feel his chakra building.

"Now, now. This is not the place you want to fight. And what about Sasuke's poor defenseless body? He has no control, and killing me would kill him and Itachi."

"H-He did the-"

"Transfer? Yes." Naruto cursed and kicked the wall. It cracked and crumbled. There was no point in trying to keep the house tidy now. It was already practically ruined.

"Fuck this. You're getting out, whether you like it or not."

"Actually, I don't like it. But I sure as hell get a kick out of watching these little girls scream and squirm." I looked again and found a specific girl I liked. She had long pretty raven hair, and she was barely conscious. She was slowly opening her eyes and groaning while she did it. "Like this one here. She is so vulnerable and fragile. That's what makes killing humans so fun. They can cry and scream and beg for help, but in the end," I picked the girl up. She looked at me, then at Naruto.

"Don't touch her. Put her down. Put her down!!" I looked in his eyes. They were filled with hatred and fear. And love. He loved this human, and he showed it openly. I grabbed her head and she began crying.

"Naruto? Wha-" and I snapped her head to the side, then back up. She fell forward and Naruto began growling so intense, I thought about giving Sasuke his body back.

"They're only toys."

**And that's where I end this short chapter. Inspired by the Naruto manga. Don't ask…**

**-Jazz Out**


	16. For One Night

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 16**

It all began with that party. If I did not go, my trust…my hesitance to bond with another would not have been so strong.

I would never forget any of that. How deception, false love, and lies could change everything, you thought you knew about a person. My entire life was based on that. Hatred and lies. Love and despair. Where was the order? Where was the truth, if there was any at all. I found love, something I have not been able to find in years. And of all people, I chose_ him. _Sasuke Uchiha. I knew he felt the same way, I mean, we were opposites. The complete opposites. In many ways. You see, my guy, is a vampire. Just the way that word rolled off my tongue made me shiver. He only "fed" from me three times. When we first met, when we were having fun in his room, and when he killed me. I forced myself to believe it wasn't his fault. He was trying to pursue his dream to make me happy, and it resulted in his loss of control. His inner demon took over.

I didn't understand anything when I closed my eyes. A piece of my soul was still hanging on, and I felt it, but was I dead? Or undead?

**:**

"SAKURA!! Sakura!" All I heard was screaming. Horrid, agonizing screaming. Then there was a different, high-pitched screaming. My throat began hurting, then I realized it was my own.

"Hang on! Hang on, please." Every second, I felt the stinging pain throughout my body. From the inside, it felt like something was flowing through me. I was still screaming, and shouting things I wouldn't usually say when I was sane. And then, just as quickly as it began, it stopped. Abruptly.

"It's done."

"Stop." I whispered.

"It is done." The same voice repeated. "Awaken." I shot my eyes open in surprise, sitting up straight and staring at my surroundings. My room. I was confused. My hand, involuntarily, shot up to my neck. Dry, smooth, clean. I looked down. I was naked, completely, and several bruises, scrapes, and scratches covered my body. I looked then to my left. A tall, cute, boy. I knew him. I would never forget him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Sasuke threw his arms around me, practically knocking me over. "God, I'm so sorry." My shoulder was wet. He was crying.

"Sa…" my dry lips stuck together, halting my attempted sentence. "Sasuke…" I sniffed, then was completely overwhelmed by that scent. Iron-like. Metallic and salty. My mouth watered and my eyes stung. I licked my lips, and Sasuke pulled back.

"I know. I understand," was all he whispered.

"Is it blood?" I asked him.

"Yes." I smiled. Sasuke reached up to his shirt collar and ripped it so his neck was exposed. I was a vampire right? This was completely normal. Yes…normal. I grabbed Sasuke, and pressed my lips to his skin. I could feel the blood rushing through his veins. Feel it. Taste it. My fangs--it was weird to say--extended on their own.

"Go Sakura." Sasuke gripped the back of my head. And, as if I couldn't hold back any longer, I sunk my teeth in. Sasuke grunted, and although I have never done this before, it all came natural. I had no problem taking his blood away. It was amazing, better than sex if I had experienced it. After what seemed like an eternity, I moved away from Sasuke. He sighed, closed his eyes, and opened them to stare straight at me. My adrenaline rush came to a halt, and I was left tired and spent. I stared back at my love, stroking his smooth face.

"Sasuke… my god."

"Shh…I know. I know. I'm sorry." He kissed my forehead.

"You killed me." Tears poured out of my eyes. Tears appeared in his.

"I know. I didn't know what I was doing."

I was silent, not wanting to provoke any unnecessary tears. I was with him, and he was here, with me. That was all that mattered.

"I-I didn't know Sakura…I shouldn't have—I…hurt you more than I could've ever imagined. I don't deserve to be with you anymore. When I came back to, I'd already killed you and Hinata. N-Naruto wouldn't talk to me…you weren't waking up…"Sasuke sighed. "I was going to stop everything right then and there. I was going to end my life, I swear Sakura. I cannot do this anymore—" Tears fell from his eyes, and he shut them tightly.

"Sasuke! Stop, please stop this. You are strong."

"NO,no—"

"Please. You're strong Sasuke."

"Look at you Sakura! You're a fucking vampire…a vampire. You will never have a normal life again. You'll have to move from one place to the next until the rest of your life."

"But I'll be with you," I smiled and touched his shoulder. He shook me off. "Forever."

"No." He stood and handed me a shirt. "It isn't going to be like that. Not anymore." I put the shirt on.

"Why not?"

Sasuke didn't turn around when I asked the question. "It isn't over. The Council has been notified about everything that has happened. The Akatsuki, me, you…Itachi—"

"Itachi, did it work?" I blurted out. "The transfer."

"Yes. Itachi is definitely here."

I smiled slightly, but his back was sill turned. "What about the Council? What…what's going to happen?"

"Kakashi went to the HQ of the Council. He's trying to convince to them that Itachi was innocent in the murders. If he can't, I will be executed." I gasped.

"What?"

"I broke the rules Sakura. My relationship with you was strike one. Killing my own kind to protect you was strike two. And commencing the Soul Transfer with the enemy was strike three. There is nothing I can do. Even if Kakashi finds a way to keep me from dying, I will still have to go. Exile, and punishment is probably what they will do."

"But none of it was your fault. Tylar…his family were Rogues."

"But he wasn't one. Neither was his sister. I crossed the line."

I stood and gripped his hand. "It'll work out. I know it will."

He spun around, his eyes blood red with the Sharingan. "Don' you get it? Nothing will be the same! I will never see you again. You cannot possibly know what that would do to me. I need you, more than anything, and the only thing I can do to save myself is die. If I die, I'll be free. You will be safe." I didn't answer him after that. Before I could stop myself, I began sobbing uncontrollably. Sasuke hugged me tightly, wiping my tears.

"If you die, I die Sasuke. I refuse to be without you. I absolutely refuse to live without you with me."

"I have to go."

"When? You can't possibly be leaving now." I cried. "Let me come with—"

"No! You can't come with me. It will be too dangerous."

"You're always leaving me behind Sasuke! Every time you leave, you hold me back. I won't get in your way. I just want to help. That's all." Sasuke made a noise.

"The last thing I'm doing is getting you in more danger."

"Well what makes you think I'm not going to be in more danger when you leave me?"

"Naruto and the others will protect you." I part of my patience disappeared.

"Why! Why is it so damn hard for you to except the fact that maybe—just maybe—someone wants you? You know you don't want to leave. You don't." I didn't know why he stood there making me beg. He knew I would do this, yet—

"I don't want to leave, it's just—"

"You don't love me do you?"

"What?" Sasuke exclaimed. "How can you think that?"

"How can I not! You're leaving! If the Council decides to take you after all, the least you could do is stay with me a little longer. For me."

"One night Sakura. That's all I can do." I sighed and wiped my eyes.

"What time is it?" my brain hadn't quite adjusted to the things around me.

"Almost eight PM."

"Okay." I stood straight up, realizing the shirt Sasuke gave me only reached my thighs. I caressed Sasuke's face, and kissed his lips. He kissed me back, holding me tighter and tighter until there was no space left. "I love you." I said in between breaths. When I said that, he kissed me harder, pushing me back on the bed. "Sasuke, since y-you are going…tomorrow…" Sasuke stared in confusion, but when he realized what I was saying, he pushed away.

"No." I grabbed his wrist quickly. My grip was powerful, and I managed to stop him from leaving the room.

"Don't leave Sasuke. Don't leave now." I pleaded. He looked at me, in my eyes, in my soul.

"I can't do that now."

"But we can't wait either, can we?"

"No," the look on his expression made my stomach churn. He looked so depressed. "We can't." he moved back to me and crashed his lips on mine. I gasped at the force and kissed him back just as fierce.

"W-We can do this…right. Even if for one night."

"Yes," he breathed into my ear. My skin tingled and my heart fluttered. There would be nothing stopping us. We didn't need to breathe. We wouldn't get tired. We had all night. "I love you Sakura. I always have, I always will."

If only he knew.

If only he knew the power of his words.

If only he knew how badly I wanted him.

If he only knew the truth.

But I couldn't tell him now.

No, that would just ruin everything we ever had.

**And there you go, Chapter 16 of Chocolate Roses. You can expect maybe 2 more updates before school starts again. –sigh—school. Don't even get me started. Testing, testing and more testing… Alrighty peoples. Gimme some suggestions. The sooner I get results, the sooner you get another chapter! Lovve Ya Lotzz!**

**--Jazz Out. **


	17. Impossible

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 17**

Sasuke left earlier the next morning. He didn't bother waking me up, although I faintly remember him kissing my large forehead. I did not think about it too much, because I knew I couldn't handle too much pain. I was partially in denial, because every time I waked passed his room, I expected to see him there. But he wasn't. I kept telling myself he would be waiting for me when I got home, just to keep the last of my insanity in check, but after three weeks, I gave up.

Sasuke left. And he wasn't coming back. And to top it off, I was getting sick. Sick, can you believe that? Tsunade told me it was natural when you first become a vampire to experience illnesses. I took her word for it, but the throwing up and massive headaches were too much for me.

Hinata was sympathetic when it came to that. She experienced the same thing since she was _'one of us'_ . She knew how frustrating it was, but her sicknesses had come and gone. I was still sick.

"It's just fine Sakura, some last longer than others." Tsunade assured.

"I don't know Tsunade. It's very annoying I must say." I rolled my eyes and continued reading my book.

"I'm sure it is."

"Has Kakashi found Sasuke yet?" I asked, a little ounce of hope in my body. I asked the question every once in a while out of curiosity, knowing the answer before I got a response.

"No. He's still looking." Kakashi set out on a quest a few days ago to trace Sasuke's whereabouts. We had no luck.

"Okay."

"Oh, cheer up Sakura. Why don't you go out with the girls and have some fun?"

"I would, but I'm not in the mood. I'm comfortable right here." I stretched out on the bed and smiled, convincing the woman slightly.

"I'm not buying it, but even if you are comfortable, get some clothes on, gather your friends and lets go." It was a demand, not up for discussion. I didn't bother risking my life trying to argue back with Tsunade. I just rolled over, threw my book on the floor and sighed.

"Can you call them up while I get ready?" I asked. Tsunade nodded and I tossed her my phone. When she left, I quickly changed into a beige sweater and jeans. I wore my favorite boots and went to down stairs to the kitchen. It was around 4 in the afternoon, and Naruto sat at the table looking bored and tired. He was still dressed in his night clothes.

"Late night?" I asked as I sat next to him.

"Yeah. I was listening to Kakashi al night. Just because we're vampires doesn't mean we don't need sleep." He glanced at my clothes." Going out?"

"Yup. Tsunade is making me socialize."

"She cares, you know. She's worried about you." I wrinkled my nose.

"Why?"

"Why not? She thinks you're going off the deep end with Sasuke gone and all…" I noticed the hesitation in his voice and the way he averted his eyes quickly.

"You're lying." I said simply. Naruto sighed and played with his phone.

"Alright. Your illness isn't normal."

"Normal as in…"

"It's lasting far too long."

"Well I could've told you that," I said sighing. "It's way too different from Hinata's. She was only experiencing headaches, but I'm feeling horrible." Naruto was silent. "What?"

"Can I ask you something?" he looked at me, his eyes narrowing with desperation.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"..Have sex with him." I froze, suddenly realizing _everything. _

_Impossible…_

"No…that's…"

"You did." I nodded, suddenly feeling like an ant, small and vulnerable.

"It's impossible."

"Sometimes…right after the change…the human trait is still there…" he sighed. "That's why you wait before you do it. Shit! Didn't he tell you?" I stood there staring at him like he didn't just answer my unsolved questions.

"No. No, he didn't tell me." I whispered. I didn't even recognize my own voice. I backed away from Naruto and ran back up the stairs. On the way to the bathroom, I bumped violently into Hinata.

"Whoa, Sakura. Slow it—"

"Tsunade, I need a favor."

_Impossible…_

"Yes, what is it?" I pulled her into the bathroom with me. "What?"

I lifted my shirt halfway, revealing my flat stomach. "Is something there?" Hinata stared confused.

"What exactly am I looking for?" I sighed and blinked hard, holding back my tears.

"Listen…I…I had sex with Sasuke," Hinata's eyes widened in realization. "I want you to check for…life. A baby." It hurt to say. I could not be pregnant. Not now. Hinata was silent before she placed her shaking hands over my stomach. She was blessed with very developed healing abilities, and checking for a baby wasn't a hard task. After five minutes, Hinata moved her hand, and I studied her face. She didn't say a word, but when she closed her eyes tightly, I knew.

"God…" I whispered, backing away and sitting on the edge of the toilet seat. I felt my stomach. Nothing…nothing. How was it possible? Why?

_Impossible…_

"Sakura…D-Don't worry…It's going to be okay…don-t worry." I held my head in my hands and cried.

"Oh my god…" I cried in between breaths.

"I'll get Naruto—"

"No! Please don't tell anyone. Not yet…not yet."

"Okay." She wrapped her arms around me and whispered soothing words in my ear. It wasn't working though. I was, as Shikamaru would say, '_fucked.'_.

"I have to find him Hinata. He can't go without knowing—"

"He's gone already Sakura. Unless Kakashi finds him…t-there's no way he'll know." She was right, and I cried harder. Pregnant at 16. With a vampire's child. How worse could it get? Sasuke wasn't even here. How would that make me look? I would be a single mother—abortion was out of the picture—and because of my relationship with Sasuke, I would look like some kind of whore.

"Sakura, we must tell Tsunade. She will know what to do a-and how to help."

"Okay. Just give me a second." I stood up, rubbed my eyes, regained my composure, and followed Hinata out the bathroom. I could feel the bile rushing up my throat, and I rushed back in the bathroom, throwing up the little food, I had left in my stomach.

"What's wrong with her?" I heard Ino ask.

"Nothing." Thank you Hinata. The last thing I needed was Ino's big mouth judging me. I had to re-regroup myself before I left again. Ino stopped me.

"What's wrong with you—have you been crying?" I sighed.

"No, In—"

"Because if you're crying over him again you shouldn't be."

"Ino—"

"It's Sasuke isn't it? That stupid asshole—"

"Ino! Just…_shut up_!" ever since Sasuke left, she's been feeding me with sly comments about how stupid and dumb she thought he was. I didn't want to hear any of it.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Fine Sakura, whatever. And hey, just between us girls, I think you should cut back a little. I know Sasuke's gone and all, but don't overdo it."

"Overdo what?"

"You know, eating. You're gaining a little weight. I can tell by your hips." I huffed and rubbed my temples.

"You don't understand Ino. I seriously _am not_ in the mood—"

"What the hell is bothering you? You're never in the mood."

"Dammit, maybe if you stop cutting me off you'll know!"

"Don't take whatever it is out on me," she ran her fingers through her fine blonde hair. "I'm only trying to help."

"I don't need it."

"Tch…" Ino muttered something even I couldn't catch.

"What?"

"I said, maybe if you weren't so caught up in a relationship with a guy that wasn't meant for you, none of this would be happening."

"You don't know what you're—"

"I sure do. Sasuke, your main man, has another girl."

"Another girl? That's insane."

"Really?" Ino pulled a picture from her purse. It was dated March 13, 2009. He was in a picture with another girl I didn't know. He was kissing her, his body on top of hers, her legs around his waist. This was dated just days before my birthday.

"He was cheating on you, and look at this." She pulled out another picture.

The same beautiful girl was holding a baby, his eyes black, hair red like hers. "No…"

"I'm sorry…it's his."

**Absolutely nothing to say…Love ya'all.**

**Jazz Out**


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 18**

"No it isn't."

"Sakura, look at it!" Ino pointed at the two pictures angrily. "Am I going to have to slap some sense into you?"

The pictures fell from my hands. "No, he wouldn't. It's Sasuke—"

"Think about the times he wasn't here. He was with her, living a whole other life."

"Dammit, this isn't true! You don't like him. You'll say anything to break us up, it's fake." I cried. "This was before he loved me. You changed the date…" I muttered all of these words, a part of me knowing none of it was true.

"Look at it!" Naruto appeared next to us, saw what was happening and sighed.

"Tell her Naruto. Tell her Sasuke wouldn't…" I trailed off when Naruto looked away.

"I told you—"

"Naruto…" Hinata frowned and looked at Naruto. I pushed passed the three and went to my room. It was all too much to handle.

Sasuke was gone.

I was pregnant.

Sasuke was cheating on me.

And he already had a daughter. I was vaguely aware of Ino and Hinata following me.

"Sakura, I told you he was no good. I told you." I clenched my fists and took deep breaths to keep from exploding.

"Ino…she's stressed, leave her alone." Hinata whispered.

"Well, it's a good thing she didn't go too far with him. Just think about that." I stood.

"Why not? Why is it good I didn't get far with him?"

"Just think if…you two had sex or something. Or if he died…or if he got you pregnant. You would waste your entire life wandering what would've happened if you didn't. You couldn't get attached because if you did, and he pulled shit like this, you would never be the same." Tears rose to my eyes.

"Thanks for the advice Ino, but I had sex with him, and I'm pregnant, okay? Are you happy now? And now he's gone. Who knows if he's dead, or if he's even with that girl? I….just don't care anymore. And fix your face." I muttered. Ino's jaw dropped as she stared at me in awe.

"Are you fucking stupid?" she exclaimed.

I winced. "I guess I am ,huh?"

"Damn Sakura, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I loved him, Ino. I don't want to hear it. Keep your comments to yourself. Please."

"Fine Sakura. You would want that."

**:**

Everything between Ino and I began falling apart. She told me she got the pictures from Sai when he was going through Sasuke's room. Something told me the girl in the first picture I saw was a different girl. The skin tone was different in the two pictures and the baby…wasn't Sasuke's. It couldn't be. He wouldn't have gotten another girl pregnant. But Naruto did confirm that he was cheating on me. How many girls? How many did he claim to love, then leave?

It's been a month now, and my pregnancy was slightly noticeable. If I wore a tight shirt, a small bump would be all you would see. Back at school, we were finishing up the school year, and I was preparing for a job. I wasn't going to college, there was no point.

"Hey Sakura." I looked up from my homework and saw Karin. After Ami died, she became a free woman. She ran the school now, and was just as bitchy as Ami used to be. Karin returned to school a few days ago, claiming to be sick. I didn't buy it.

"What?"

"Do you know where Sasuke is?"

"No, I don't." I glared and continued doing what I was doing.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Did I stutter?" Karin scoffed. The homeroom fell silent.

"Alright, I'll cut to the chase you stupid whore. I know you're pregnant." I dropped my pencil and slowly looked up at her, clenching my fists.

"What?"

"You're pregnant. It's obvious unless you're getting fat, and I doubt that. It's Sasuke's isn't it?" I bit my tongue. By the end of first period, the whole school would know. I wanted to kill her.

" Back up." I muttered.

"Sorry, I didn't catch that. I should've known you would fuck him, but get pregnant? Who could be that stupid? It's called a condom."

"Karin, just shut up."

"Cuz you know what," she continued ignoring me. "I wish you knew before you slept with him."

"Knew what?"

"That Sasuke was with me. Right before your birthday, he came to my house and we had the best sex—"" I shot across the table and slapped Karin, not bothering to hold my vampire strength. Karin fell on her huge ass and made a noise, grabbing my feet and pulling me down with her. It all made sense. In the first picture, I couldn't see the red-heads face.

Karin.

Karin, Karin, Karin.

He was with _her._

"Why?" I asked. I wasn't necessarily talking to Karin, but to everything that's happened.

"Because we were perfect. No matter how many times I told you or Ami, you don't get it. Well now you know."

"Sakura, it's okay." Hinata whispered. My face was turning red with anger.

"What are you going to do with the baby? Sasuke isn't coming back for you, especially when he'll be with me."

"With you?"

"You heard me. Matter of fact, he'll be at my house. Tonight." I narrowed my eyes.

"You're such a fucking liar." I clenched my fist and punched Karin in her face. She gasped and didn't recover quick enough. When she tried to punch me back, I stopped her and kicked her backwards.

"You know what Sakura, you think everybody is lying to you. You've put yourself in such a position already. You dumped all of you trust in Sasuke, and in the end, you turned on everybody. Look at you and Ino. You sure did screw that up."

"Shut up."

"But I guess I should fill you in on a little secret."

"What?"

Karin moved closer. "When Sasuke was with me, he said these exact words.'_Sakura isn't perfect enough. Her forehead is too big, her hair is too abnormal, and she just isn't like you. Naturally beautiful.'_"

I shook my head. "Shut up." I growled under my breath. "You don't know shit about what you're talking about."

"Well I do remember Allyn. Do you?" my eyes widened.

"Allyn Shin. From the party. The one you pleased so very well. From what he told me, it was like you'd done it plenty of times before." She smiled smugly, knowing what really happened.

"You know."

"Know what? That you're the biggest whore in this school? That you fucked the shit out of your best friends boyfriend? Yeah, I know a lot." I slapped her again.

"You stupid bitch!" I screamed, punching her again. "You know what happened!" I climbed on top of her and took a big clump of hair in my hands. I could feel Hinata trying to pull me off of her, but I ignored her and continued beating on Karin. She was fighting back, and not doing very good at it. The classroom was cheering us on, and some girls ran out of the classroom to get a teacher. I abruptly stopped when I broke Karin's nose. She was crying and blocking her face, a pitiful sight. Blood was trickling from her nose. It smelled so good. Hinata was still pulling me.

"Don't do it Sakura. Come on, come on." I quickly stood and pushed passed everyone. I began running throughout the school, reaching the exit. Once I reached the wooded area, I broke out in a sprint. I was running so fast, I couldn't even see where I was going. I stopped at the lake I recently began going to. It was my safe place, the only place I could go without worrying about Sasuke or anyone else. I went behind the huge oak tree and began re-digging the whole I made. I was crying like I had all the time in the world. I stared at the object in the whole. The sun reflected the shining light in my face. I picked it up and put my back against the tree.

This was it.

I'd been planning this day for weeks now. Enough was enough.

I gripped the shining stake in my shaking hands and placed it above my chest.

_Enough was enough._


	19. Chapter 19

Chocolate Roses

Chapter 19

It's been almost a month since I left. I didn't think about the trouble I caused, or the heart I left behind. I just knew I could never go back.

I checked up on Sakura every once in a while. I checked only at night because I didn't want to wake her up. That was the last thing I would do…but who was I to talk? I was the one who left her behind, on her own. I hated myself for it, and I was damn sure she hated me. On the way back from Sakura's house this morning, I stopped by Karin's place. I made sure she was keeping her mouth shut, and continued on.

Everyone was at school by the time I left Karin's house, which meant she was going to be late. She seemed to believe that blackmailing me was the way to get to my heart, but it was a lie. She found out about the missing piece Itachi left behind, somehow, and threatened to reveal my secret to everyone. I wouldn't let that happen.

Karin was a weak vampire. She was one of the Moderns, the ones that pretended to be human to blend in. I couldn't let myself be blackmailed by the likes of her,but I did. Around 7 that night, I went to Karin's house once more, something I had to do to keep her quiet. I climbed in through her window which was already open and waited for her.

"Good evening Sasuke." She chirped. I sighed.

"Evening."

"Boy do I have some news for you." She plopped on her bed and stretched out, purposely exposing her stomach through her tank top.

"What?"

"It's about your darling Sakura." I suddenly became interested.

"Well?"

"Dead." I looked at her confused.

"What're you…"

"She's dead. Killed herself earlier today. Isn't that just wonderful—"

"What do you mean she killed herself? You can't be serious!" I clenched my fists until my knuckles turned white. Karin grabbed her remote and flicked on the television in her room.  
"It's all over the news."

_'--some of you viewers already know, a young teen has committed suicide at the Kane Lake. Details about the horrifying incident have not yet been released, but we do know that she stabbed herself in the chest.'_

_'In the chest.'  
'In the chest.'  
'In the chest.'_

"No." I said, almost defiantly.

"Sorry Sasuke, but she just ran out of school and like, three hours later, some passerby finds her dead in the woods. Oh, and you know what--oh wait here it goes." Karin's direction turned back to the television.

_'This just in! We have just been informed that the young girl was pregnant. 'One month' says doctor Jared Amon. 'It's a shame, i don't even know what goes on in these kids' heads. I don't think anyone knows.'_

Karin looked at me then, her face marked with anger and betrayal.

"When were you going to tell me you had sex with her, huh? You told me you--" I turned around and left her room, jumping out of the window and running towards our school.

"Sasuke, you have to forget about her!!" I heard Karin call after me. I ignored her. I didn't know what made her think that someone like her could ever leave my mind. I would never forget. I wouldn't let myself forget.  
I followed the scent of Sakura, and, to my horror, her blood. It was next to a man-made lake, and the first thing I noticed was a deep, dug-up hole beside an oak tree. I bent down and smelled the area. She'd definitely been here

"Sasuke, there's no use—" I spun around and grabbed Karin by her throat.

"_Shut up._"

"I'm not going to Sasuke! Don't you realize she didn't want to be here? Why do you think she committed suicide?"

"Someone was here..." I dropped Karin and turned away.

"What do you mean someone was here? You're not making any since."

"I'm making complete since. Someone was here. Sakura--"

"She's dead! God dammmit Sasuke, what is it going to take? She is dead, they picked her up three hours ago. The only person that was here was Sakura."

"Karin, I know this. She wasn't alone."

"Well you know what? I know she was because I..."

I turned to face Karin with an intense glare on my face."Because you what?" she shook her head and crossed her arms. Her lip quivered and and tears streamed down her face.

"I-I...I followed her and... watched her..." she took a deep breath. "She wouldn't stop shaking... and... crying for you. And the baby."

"You watched her?... You watched her!"

"S-Sasuke I'm sorry..." I brought my hand across Karin's face so hard, she fell backwards, her body shaking in shock. I pulled her up by her throat and she gasped.

"How could you just stand there and watch her do that? What the fuck is wrong with you! Why?"

"Because I love you. I love you more than she could ever love you. Her suicide was an act of selfishness. I would never do something like that--"

"I can't believe this...I can't belive this." I threw Karin away from me and plopped on the ground.

"Sasuke..." Karin sat next to me. The bruise around her neck was visible, as was the small cut on her face where my nails had broken skin. "Listen, I'm sorry. I really ,really am."

With my head in my hands, I closed my eyes and began crying, something I hadn't done in ages. Karin held on to me, of all people, but i didn't push her away or shout or fight. I wouldn't do that any longer. I sucked up my tears, moved away from Karin, and began walking away.

"Where are you going?" Karin called.

"I don't know."

"Then why are you leaving?"

"I don't know." I _didn't _know. I mean, the love of my life was dead. What else could I possibly do? Nothing.

"Then don't leave." she was aproaching me once again. I stopped walking.

"I have to." Karin's hands wrapped around my waist as she turned me around.

"Fine." she got on her toes and kissed me. I showed no reaction and when she was satisfied, I turned to leave. She didn't follow.

There was just one thing that dissturbed me abbout that place. I knew there was smells that didn't belong to Sakura, and I was determined to figure out what they were and who they belonged to.

I wouldn't stop until I knew I got the entire and complete truth.

I wouldn't stop.

**Okay finally i updated. It was kinda short and emotional. oh and don't forget all of the typos. I don't have time to fix them so live with em. THREE DAYS AND SCHOOL IS OVA!!! You know what that means, more updates. I can guarantee I'll finish this story this summer. Love ya'all!**

**-Jazz OUT**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 20**

I was grateful and satisfied with my decision. I was one of them. I was happy, and I was going to stay.

"Sakura, dinner has been prepared." Deidara called after me. I was lounging in my section of the dark, humid room I slept in.

"I'm not hungry." I muttered back half-heartedly. I began fumbling with a stray piece of cloth that had been pulled from my cloak. Sasori placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You must eat."

"I'll eat when I get hungry." I quickly retorted.

"Don't be so stubborn. You're making Avi nervous. " Deidara joked around and nodded towards the sleeping four year old in my lap.

"He's not even awake Deidara. Stop joking around." I hit him on the chest and he staggered.

"What's eating you?"

"That's what she said dude…" Kisame muttered. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm just annoyed."

"PMS."

"Kisame, shut the hell up!" I shot. I looked down and saw Avi's troubled, confused eyes.

"Mommy? Are you mad?"

"No, I'm fine. Promise." I added a smile when his eyebrows furrowed.

"Okay." He added simply and stood. He yawned and ran in Deidara's arms. "Can we go out today? Please?"

"Where do you want to go?"

Avi giggled. "You know where silly. Out there."

"That's up to your mother… I'm not risking my life trying to take you to the city." Avi turned to me, a look of yearning on his small face.

"Mommy can we go to the city?"

"No, it's too dangerous."

"But you go every week. I wanna go!" Avi's eyes welled up with tears. I glanced at Deidara who quickly averted his eyes.

"You know the risks Deidara." I spat.

"I sure do. Nothing a few jutsus won't help. Come on Sakura lighten up. Would it make you feel better if you came with us?"

I hesitated. Avi could perfectly pass since he was human, but Deidara and I would have much more trouble masking our chakras. It would take a lot of work…

"Fine."

"Yay! Yay! Yay! Come on, come on let's go!" Avi began excitedly tugging at my cloak.

"Hold on sweetie. Let me get dressed. Deidara can you help him with his shoes?"

"I'm on it." I loved watching Avi be happy. I would do anything for my son, and it was so hard to say no. With his big green eyes and onyx hair, he demanded the attention of everyone who looked in his direction; and he was only four. I had a strong, overpowering knowledge that he would be as stunning and irresistible as his father. If there was anything I knew, it was that. Avi was born human, as I was, which made the two of us unique and famous.

I hurriedly dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and left with Deidara and Avi. I was immensely grateful of Deidara and the way he took care of Avi. He never complained when I asked him to help, and he made sure he did it correctly. I found myself extremely comfortable around the Akatsuki. Although we were Rogues, there was a sense of commitment and leadership I couldn't quite grasp with my other family. There was something else I felt that I hadn't felt most of the time with my family, and that was happiness. It proved that in the dullest of places, and at the brink of insanity, there was still hope that I could still become content.

Our chakras were masked and we made our way to the city. Avi was bouncing and singing happily, sending smiles in our direction. Deidara noticed banners and flyers hanging around, and he saw that there was a carnival taking place farther up town. As soon as Avi heard of this, he became giddy and almost impossible to control.

"Can we go? Can we? I wanna ride the Ferris wheel and the train and eat candy and—"

"Avi calm down. Let me think." He squeezed my hand and grinned widely. He was so damn cute. "Deidara, is it clear?"

"Um…yeah. There aren't any dangerous chakras detected. Just stay on the DL, okay?"

I nodded. "Where are you going?" He moved closer and whispered in my ear.

"I wanted to get something for the kid. His you-know-what is in two days." He smiled.

"Right, but you shouldn't—"

"I insist. Meet me at this store in two hours, okay?" he pointed to a Toys-R-Us.

"Two hours it is." When Deidara left, I led Avi inside the Carnival. There were hundreds of families toting around children. Loud, obnoxious carnival music played in the background.

"Wha t do you want to do first Avi?"

"Ferris Wheel!" he squealed. The Ferris wheel made me nervous and the thought of him being on that made it worse. Avi on the other had been talking away, jumping and pulling and laughing. I was glad he was happy.

"Ma'am, are you riding with him?" asked one of the employees operating the system.

"Yes." I replied as I climbed on with Avi. His eyes were wide with excitement, and I wondered if it would last. I myself had a small fear of heights.

"Maybe we can see the base from here! Or maybe even the mountains! What do you think mommy? Huh?"

"I think you're just right. Look at the lights." I said, pointing at the other rides and stands around us.

"Pretty." The wheel began moving upwards and Avi became elated once more.

"Mommy look!" We reached the very top, and he began waving at everyone below us. "Hi! Hi!" he called. I smiled and glanced around the ground. I could see everyone perfectly because of my enhanced vision and my eyes fell on three people. It was a family, and they actually looked happy. The little girl was smiling with pink cotton candy sticking to her face, and the mother was laughing at the husband who kept losing a tossing game.

I felt a pang of jealously, and Avi noticed my change in attitude. "Mommy? Are you okay?"

"Yes. Sorry about that sweetie—"

"Do I have a daddy?"

"What?" I was shocked by the sudden change in subject.

"Do I have a daddy? Everybody else does."

"Let's talk later okay? Enjoy the ride."

"No." Avi crossed his arms defiantly and I sighed.

"Avi…your daddy is somewhere else right now."

"Where is he?"

"He's at his house."

"Can we see him? Do you know where he is? Where does he live? Do you talk to him? Does he know me—"

"We can't see him Avi. He doesn't want to see us."

"Why not? He's the Daddy. Daddy loves us." Tears welled up in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away. "I don't get it."

"It's okay, we'll talk about him later. See you missed the ride." The wheel came to a stop and the magnetically operated doors opened. I unbuckled Avi and he ran out before I did.

"Avi! Avi hold on!" I threw the buckle off of myself and ran after him. I collided into someone and I quickly apologized. "Avi?" I called over the music and people. He was out of sight, and I would risk blowing my cover if I used chakra to find him. Tears filled my eyes.

"Avi!!" I tried smelling him, but the smells of food and everyone else didn't help. "Avi, where are you!"

I popped out my phone and called Deidara.

"Yello?"

"Deidara, Avi is gone. H-He ran away and now he's lost a-and…"

"I'll be right there. Keep trying to find him." Deidara hung up, and I continued looking for my son. He wasn't at the hotdog stand, or the bungee cords, or even the cotton candy stand. _Where was he?_

If I los him, I don't know what I would—

"Mommy! Look!" I spun around and found my son bouncing a plastic ball, a wide smile on his face. I ran up to him and took him in my arms. "What's wrong?"

"Don't you ever run off like that again, do you hear me?"

"Y-Yes. Sorry…I wanted to find Daddy."

"Daddy isn't here."

"But I ran into this man who said he knew you and he gave me a ball! See, it's pretty."

"Avi, I thought I told you not to talk to strangers." I looked around the area. Deidara was on his way.

"He's not a stranger, he knows you!" Avi grabbed hold of my hand and pulled me in the direction of the dock. Below us was the ocean. "There he is!" I looked up and froze in fear and shock.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Those eyes looked up at me, and drifted to Avi, then back to me.

"Mommy? Am I in trouble." I backed away quickly, and Avi followed. "Mommy, why are you crying?" Avi was getting scared, but I quickly grabbed his hand and ran towards the exit.

"Stop! I wanna stay! I wanna stay!" I stepped on something round and fell, Avi as well. He'd dropped his ball, and I stepped on it, causing it to bounce away in another direction. He began running after it but stopped short when I screamed at him to stop.

"I'll buy you another one Avi, I'll buy you a whole bunch. Just…don't run off again." Avi began crying, and I was close to doing it myself. I picked him up and carried him the rest of the way.

"Sakura." I stopped when I heard that smooth, beautiful voice. I wouldn't dare turn around for I would be stuck once again.

"You have the wrong girl. Sorry." I whispered. I glanced at Avi who'd stopped crying.

"Don't you dare leave. If you leave Sakura—"

"You'll what?" my heart began pounding in my chest. It was aching and I was crying now.

"Mommy, don't cry." Avi wrapped his little arms around my neck. He hopped out of my arms and ran up to the man behind me. "Leave mommy alone! Leave her alone!" Avi kicked him and hit him, but finally, he grabbed Avi's arms and told him to stop.

"Who do you think you are?" Avi spat. _Don't answer. Don't answer…_I prayed.

"I'm your father."

**And that is where I stop chickadees. Cliffie…wow… did you see how quickly I updated? The whole summer will be like that, promise! And just so you know…**

**Avi is pronounced (ah—vee)**

**I have a myspace. I will leave a link on our profile so you can find me. I accpept everyone!**

**SKOOL'S OUT, LET'S ROCK AND ROLL!**

**-Jazz Out**


	21. Chapter 21

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 21**

"My father? Daddy?"

"No, Avi. " I quickly jumped in and grabbed his arm, but he writhed away from me.

"Yes. I am your daddy. Avi." Sasuke gripped Avi's hand and smiled. Avi giggled.

"Is it true Mommy? Is he?" I looked away from the two of them. How dare he just show up and talk to my son like nothing ever happened between us? It's been four whole years, and now, here he is.

"Mommy doesn't really like me Avi."

"Why?"

"We got in a fight… she's still angry." I fumed.

"Don't you tell him that! Feel free to leave, you're pretty damn good at that!"

"Are you stupid enough to keep him from me? After 4 years?"

"I guess I am pretty stupid, because I did keep him from you and I'm happy! Can you believe that? For once in a very long time, I'm happy, and I'm not going to let you ruin that!"

"So let me guess, these past four years, you've been filling his head with crap about me being the bad guy! Did you even tell him who I was?" Sasuke shouted with an intense glare. I wasn't going to crack. He didn't scare me.

"No I didn't tell him. What was a supposed to say? _'Avi, your father is a cynical, self-centered, asshole who never even considers the thoughts and feelings of others.' _Yeah, that sounds about right. Oh wait, and don't forget the fact that you left me pregnant and alone at fucking 16!"

"Don't blame me—"

"Don't blame you? _Don't blame you? _Are you serious?" I laughed in amazement." You know what? I'm not wasting my time. I've grown up Sasuke. I'm not that vulnerable little girl everyone took advantage of. And everything that's happened has been because of you. All of it! I can't believe I even said I loved you. They're just useless words to you anyway."

"That's what you think?"

"It sure is. If you ever treated Avi like you treated me, I don't know what I would do. I will never leave him with you!"

"That isn't your decision."

"It is when I've been with him all his life. I bought his clothes, his toys, his food. I was the one in pain for months because my body wasn't prepared to have a baby. I was the one who gave him undivided attention. He knows my full name Sasuke. He didn't even know you existed, and I'm completely okay with that."

"Tch. Of course you are. You're such a selfish bitch. You wondered why I couldn't stay in one place with you. You're so hard to be around, I'm surprised Avi made it four years. " I flinched." Tell me something Sakura, where have you been all this time? You didn't have any money."

"She was with us." I turned around. Deidara grabbed my hand and pulled me back. He was going to handle this his way. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Akatsuki?"

"Listen up Uchiha. You can turn and leave and make this easy for yourself or I can kick your sorry ass and make you." Sasuke's wide eyes drifted to mine.

"You couldn't stand me so bad, you resulted in being a Rogue? And you made my son one?"

"He's human just in case you didn't notice." Deidara spat.

"I hate you." I looked down at my son. I hadn't noticed his crying. He was in between Sasuke and I, and I felt horrible. He'd never said such a thing.

"Avi, come on." I touched his shoulder.

"No!! Leave me alone! I hate both of you!" He ran into Deidara's arms and cried. Deidara picked Avi up and sent one last glare in Sasuke's direction.

"Come on Sakura." I turned to leave and listened to Sasuke's last words.

"I never thought you would stoop so low just for revenge."

"It's not about you. It's about what makes Avi and I happy."

"So that's it? You're just going to leave me out of the picture?" I ignored him and continued my way. The evening was ruined, Avi was extremely upset and I had to find a way to explain this to him.

We walked the rest of the way in silence. I kept my head low, away from any scolding that might come from Deidara.

"I'm not going to say anything Sakura." Deidara muttered. "I'm glad you told the son of a bitch off."

I sighed. " But Avi. I can't believe he heard all of that. It's terrible."

"He's asleep right now. Here." He handed me Avi and I grabbed him. I wiped the dried tears from his face and hoped he wasn't too angry with me.

"Sakura, he's a kid. Once he wakes up, he'll forget the real reason he was mad at you in the first place. But I do know where he's coming from. Calm down. It'll pass."

"I just hate seeing him upset."

"That won't last. I got him something he'll like."

"What is it?"

"I already dropped it off at base but…"

"Well? What is it?" I smiled when Deidara did.

"It's one of those Hummer car things you sit in. I thought it would be okay for a birthday present…"

"Oh it's perfect!" Deidara let out a breath of relief.

"Good. Cuz if this kid came from you and Uchiha, I figured he would be pretty damn picky." Deidara laughed to himself.

"Trust me, if Avi wants it, he won't be picky."

"Yep. He's definitely your kid." I glanced at Deidara and didn't know I was staring until he told me I was.

"Oh ,um, sorry…" When I looked up, I noticed we were about ten minutes from base. Deidara was sure we weren't being followed, so we continued without worry.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked without thinking.

"Doing what?"

"You know what. Helping me. With everything." Deidara sighed.

"Well. Honestly, I don't know. Probably because Itachi wouldn't want you to live alone, and because I owe you."

"You owe me? How so?" Deidara let out a laugh.

"Think back seven years ago kid." I counted then in realization, I jumped.

"Oh yeah…when I was first attacked…_you_."

"That's right. I was your first." I suddenly remembered the attack at my home. Deidara was the blonde vampire. And the first one that ever bit me. "Ever since Itachi told me he was falling in love with you, I wondered, _'What is going on with the Uchiha's?' _I thought you were some kind of witch that kept casting charm spells on them. But he talked to me about it, and in his final thoughts, he told Sasori and I to watch over you.  
"From the first day I saw you, I knew you were different, and after the attack, I felt horrible if you know what I mean. Therefore, I owe you."

"Oh…if Itachi never told you to watch me, would you still be doing it?"

Deidara was silent. "Yeah. I would."

"Thank you. It means a lot." In my arms, Avi stirred.

"Mommy, are we home?"

"Almost." Avi sighed.

"I'm hungry. Can we have McDonald's? Deidara said it was good, I wanted to try." Avi hopped out of my arms and stared at me with gleaming, green eyes.

I looked at Deidara who shrugged in defeat. "Sorry, he weaseled it out of me." I sighed. It wouldn't hurt.

"Okay, we're not too far from home so do you wanna rest up first or go straight there? I know you're tired." I smiled at Avi. He straightened and stuck his chest out.

"No, I'm like you. I never, ever get tired!"

"Alright then lets race. First last one to the restaurant has to pay the other five dollars." Deidara challenged.

Avi nodded as Deidara took off. "Wait, I don't have any money!" Avi called after him. Deidara wasn't moving half as fast as he usually did, and he allowed Avi to catch up. Avi, being the cheater he was, jumped on Deidara's back. Deidara in return grabbed Avi and put him on his back.

I stood back, watching and laughing at the two. They'd become the most important people in my life.

"Mommy, mommy look at me!!" Avi called. I ran to catch up with them just as they reached the parking lot.

"I'll go in and order." Deidara smiled at me and put Avi down.

"Mommy, Deidara said he enjoy being around us. Is that good?"

"It sure is. Now come on, we'll find a seat." I grabbed Avi's hand and pulled him until he suddenly stopped. "What is it?" I looked down at him and gasped. His eyes were wide and tears streamed down his face.

"Avi, baby what is it?" I knelt down. His eyes seemed distant, as if he didn't even see me. "Avi?"

Avi began breathing hard and making harsh, pained noises. "Avi, this isn't funny, snap out of it!" I tapped his cheeks to get him out of his stupor, but he suddenly fell backwards.

"Avi! D-Deidara, help!!" I positioned the unconscious toddler in my lap and screamed at someone to call and ambulance.

"Give him to me." Deidara ordered. I gave him Avi and he checked his pulse and his cheeks. "He's breathing okay, but it looks like he has some kind of fever… wait a second." Deidara's brow furrowed as he placed his hand over Avi's head. "He's under a genjutsu."

"What? Who did it?" I demanded, glancing angrily around the crowd that gathered. "Move! Get out the way!" I stood and elbowed through all of them until I reached the clearest opening. I was standing in front of a car that was headed into the drive-thru, but I didn't care. I was staring face-to-face to Sasuke. I could feel his chakra and it hit me that he did this. To his own son.

I charged him. He didn't move an inch. I slapped him in the face and kicked and punched him as tears streamed down my face. "Turn it of!! Cancel the jutsu! Do it now or I swear to god I'll kill you." I screamed at Sasuke.

"Do it." He whispered. His eyes were red with the Sharingan and his lip curled in a snarl. I whipped out the stake I kept hidden in the back of my jeans. I held it up to his throat.

"Cancel the genjutsu. You think I won't kill you? I'm a Rogue remember?" I pressed the stake harder and drew blood. "Cancel it!!"

Sasuke didn't show any emotion, and it was freaking me out.

Sasuke only stared until he grasped the stake in my hand. He threw it away, and I stared in defeat.

"You're hurting him! He's your son for God's sake!" tears were still flowing from my eyes and I could here the distant siren of the ambulance. "Please."

Deidara's chakra was building tremendously and the tension in the air made my stomach churn.

"Sakura, take Avi home."

"B-But—"

"The genjutsu is off, but he has some kind of fever still. Take him home and give him to Konan. She'll help."

"What are you going to do?" I asked, holding my son gently.

Deidara stepped towards Sasuke with killer intentions."I'm going to end this. Once and for all."

**Whew… done…longest one in a while, huh? Nothing much to say except for that I heart u all!**

**-Jazz Out**


	22. Chapter 22

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 22**

I didn't argue with Deidara's decision to fight Sasuke. They would go to a place that was cleared of humans, and would settle their differences. When I took Avi home to Konan, she was more than angry to see him in his condition. Konan had developed a relationship with Avi much like Deidara's. Avi was a part of the family.

"He should've woken up when the genjutsu wore off…" Konan muttered as she checked Avi's pulse. His face was flushed and wet with sweat.

"He'll be ok though, right?"

"Yes. What exactly happened again?" I sighed.

"Sasuke put him under a genjutsu because…I don't know why. He's just… crazy."

"You know Sakura, I've had boyfriends like that. One of them tried to kill me once because he thought I was sleeping with someone else." Konan smiled.

"Well were you?"

"Of course I was, he was boring. But that's beside the point. Some times you have to let go."

"I have let go. A long time ago." Konan shook her head and clicked her tongue.

"No sweetie, you haven't." Konan smiled at me and ran her fingers through her beautiful blue hair. "I can see it in your eyes whenever you mention him. There's something back there that still longs for Sasuke Uchiha, and I know it hurts you that he's out there getting ready to die."

I let out a long needed sigh. "That isn't true." I whispered. Konan pressed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Sakura. Go find him."

"I—but I can't—Avi…"

"I'll watch him. You aren't going to torture yourself like this. You either let go of Sasuke completely, or you go make up with him. He's crazy about you."

"But all the stuff he did! He abandoned me, he kept secrets… he didn't care…"

"Sakura, I hate to break it to you but you abandoned him. He went years thinking you were dead when in reality, you just came here. Jeez… I remember when I first saw you. You were a mess. If Deidara hadn't come for you that day and made a clone, who knows what would've happened. Everyone was mad at each other, you were kids, and it's time to forgive and forget. And you know you will not be happy when Deidara shows up covered in Sasuke's blood."

"Look at Avi! He's so sick, and all because of Sasuke's foolishness!" Avi stirred and opened his eyes to look at the two of us.

"Hey sweetie." I leaned over and hugged him tightly. "It's gonna be okay, I promise."

"Okay, okay." He whispered. "I wanna tell you something." As if nothing ever happened, Avi sat up and smiled at me. His face returned to his normal color and I wiped the sweat from his face.

"Aren't you still sleepy?"

"No! I had a dream that I was talking to Daddy and he said he would make me feel all better. I decided what I was gonna do for my birthday."

"And what's that?"

"I want Daddy to come over and we can all have a happy day. All of us as a family!" Avi climbed out of bed. "We can be happy again." Avi looked at me with his big pleading eyes, and I gave in.

I growled under my breath and closed my eyes tightly. "Konan, I have a gut feeling that when I get out there, I won't be able to handle what I might see."

"You're a strong kid. You have to stop that fight and try to bring them both back alive. Deidara still owes me twenty dollars." I smiled and kissed Avi's cheek.

"I'll be back. Mommy has to run some errands."

"Okay. I love you mommy."

"Love you too."

**:**

I had absolutely no idea where I was going. I was following Deidara's massive chakra to the woods. I kept going and going, but it didn't feel like I was making any progress.

After almost two hours of non-stop running, I found a clearing. It was pitch black outside, and I heard nothing.

Silence.

Deidara's chakra had destabilized, and that worried me. I ran in.

"Deidara?" No answer. I cleared my throat. "S-Sasuke?"

"S-Sakura…" I turned sharply at Deidara's quiet voice. I found him, lying in a patch of grass. I narrowed my eyes and was taken back at what I saw. Deidara looked totally beaten up, but since he didn't bleed, it was hard to tell. His right arm was missing, leaving the sleeve from his shirt dangling freely.

"Oh god, Deidara—"

"It's okay. It doesn't hurt kid. I'm just out of chakra." I began lifting him on my back. "No, no. You didn't come here for me. Uchiha over there is just as bad as I ma. Worse maybe. H-Help him."

"What're you talking about? I'm saving you Deidara. W-Where's y-your arm?"

"I don't know. Over there." He gestured to Sasuke's direction. "Kakuzu can re-attach it." I sighed and shook my head.

"You're so reckless."

"I'm reckless? That's funny." Deidara smiled. I summoned Katsuyu and ordered her to take Deidara back to base.

"I have to do something."

"Yes Ms. Sakura." I hoisted Deidara comfortably on her and his arm on top of him as they left.

"Thank you Sakura." Deidara whispered.

"You're welcome." When they left, I made my way to Sasuke, who sat emotionless across from the spot Deidara was. He averted his eyes from mine, and I sat in front of him.

"What the fuck do you want?" he spat. I didn't flinch. I noticed the burn marks throughout his body, and I began healing them. He didn't ask anything after that, instead he sat, his body relaxing.

"I'm only doing this for Avi. He wants you to come to his birthday."

"I don't think I'm invited." He mumbled.

"You are if Avi says so. It won't be at the base because we can't risk you telling our whereabouts, so…we'll be coming to you."

"No." he said simply. "I'll call the Council." I glared and stopped healing.

"No? Well do you have any more ideas smartass?"

Sasuke pushed me off of him and knocked me down. He moved so he was straddling me, and he pressed a miniature stake against me.

"Actually, I do. You're coming with me."

"No the hell I'm not!" I kicked Sasuke and swiftly grabbed his stake. "I didn't come here to fight you, but if I have to, I will not hesitate."

Sasuke closed his eyes tightly and sighed. "You know Sakura, I never stopped loving you." I rolled my eyes.

"Save it Sasuke. I'm not in the mood. Now are you going to do this the easy way or the hard way? It seems like I'm going to have to take you with me, so take your pick."

He didn't' answer; he only stared. "Idiot." The clone I made on my way here snuck up behind Sasuke, but he was too quick and he quickly dodged the attack.

"It's obvious you aren't the smart one. I'm at my limit Sakura." He moved towards me, his chakra weakening. I didn't bother moving as he closed in. "I just…" he was inches away from me, and he outstretched his arms. I was startled when he pulled me in a tight hug, and part of me—as much as I wish it didn't—loved it. I missed his scent, rain and his shampoo. All the emotions I thought I kept tucked away came flooding back to me, and I hated and loved it at the same time. It was amazing. I inhaled deeply and wrapped my arms around him.

"I know." I finished his sentence.

"I won't fight anymore…" Sasuke let out a sigh and collapsed. I caught him quickly and placed him on my back. My strength allowed me to carry him back to base. My Inner was laughing at me, saying this should be the other way around, that Sasuke should be carrying me to safety.

I laughed.

That kind of bullshit only happened in fairytales. It only happened with princess and princess and happy endings. That only happened in dreams.

But that was just my Inner, wishing things were happy and cheerful.

_Yeah right._

**Quick update much? I only updated quickly because no one really reviewed the last one.**

**Anywho… thanks to the people who did review and I love you.**

**P.S **_**Do you know what bugs me? When people read my story and just leave. **_**WITHOUT REVIEWING!**

_**Seriously people! Show support. Woot! Woot!**_

_**Chocolate Roses Spirit!**_

_**Whoa…spazz…**_

_**-Jazz Out**_


	23. Chapter 23

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 23**

By the time I carried Sasuke all the way to base, I was exhausted, and he was still unconscious. He was alive at least, but still needed medical attention.

Konan was the first to greet me. She smiled at me knowingly and took Sasuke to the room she kept Deidara in. Not before informing everyone that he was our prisoner, of course. Avi on the other hand was excited.

He was jumping around and laughing and talking away. "Does this mean we can be together again? Daddy's here! Woohoo!"

I sighed and pulled his Spiderman nightshirt over his head. "Avi it's time to go to bed. Daddy will be awake and you guys can talk all you want."

"Why is he so sleepy?" Avi asked, a grin on his face.

"It's been a long day." Katsuyu was sure to keep Deidara away from Avi, for he would be scared. We simply told him Deidara was sick, just like he was earlier. He didn't question after that.

"Oh. I'm happy you guys are together again. Forever and ever and ever and—"

"Avi…" I warned.

"Okay. Night mommy."

"Goodnight." I kissed his forehead and left him to sleep.

**:**

When I awoke, I went first to Avi's room. He wasn't there. I checked in the other rooms, and he wasn't there. Then it hit me. I went to the clinic room and there he was. He was talking passionately to Sasuke, who was listening with a smile on his face. I leaned against the doorway and listened as well.

"…and I was happy cuz I couldn't find my toy and it was there all along!" Avi giggled.

"Hey, Avi?"

"Huh?"

"Talk to me about Mommy." I frowned.

"I love mommy. She's really nice and she listens to me and buys me stuff and she tells me stories. She never mentioned you daddy and I missed you even though I didn't know you cuz in my dreams I saw you and you were giving me a hug. I have a lot of dreams like that. In one you were giving Mommy a hug and you said you loved her and she loved you and we were all happy. Isn't that nice?"

"It sure is."

"And sometimes I wish you guys were like that now. I can see how mean you guys are to each other and it makes me sad cuz I want you to be happy like before. Even though I never saw it."

"You know, Avi. You are just like your mother."

"I am?" Sasuke smiled.

"Yep. You look like her and you sure do talk as much as her." Avi giggled.

"Deidara said talking makes you smarter and the more questions you ask makes you super smart like he is. I wanna be smart like him."

Sasuke frowned. He noticed how Avi talks about Deidara like he was his father.

"You want to know something else? I love you just like I love your mother." Avi's face brightened.

"Really? I don't think mommy knows that cuz if she did, she would be happy."

"I thought she was already happy." Avi sighed dramatically.

"No, I can tell she isn't She thinks I don't notice but I do and she isn't happy. That's why I wanted you here cuz I know you could make her happy. That's what a Daddy does, and you already made me happy." I sighed and turned away. Avi was too sweet, and he didn't understand anything that was going on.

"Mommy, you're awake!" Avi ran to me and gave me a big hug. "I was talking to Daddy all morning. He's nice."

"Good for you sweetie. Did you sleep okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"Sakura, can I talk to you?" I turned and saw Deidara. His right arm was bandaged and attached, and I was glad for that.

"Yeah." When I reached him, Deidara grabbed my hand and pulled me in his room. I could feel Sasuke's eyes. I stepped in Deidara's bright room and closed the door.

"What's up?" I asked him.

"Sasuke." I sighed, knowing what he meant.

"Him being here doesn't mean anything. He's a prisoner, and I wanted to keep him for Avi's birthday. It's tomorrow after all."

"I know. I'm not trying to come off like an asshole, but after everything that's happened, you bring him here? It's like…you don't care."

"I-I know—I'm sorry…"

"Listen Sakura, I know you did this for Avi, but I can't stand this kid. Just looking at him makes me want to kill him. And I swear, if I ever see him lay a finger on you, I'll give him a proper funeral."

I smiled. "Thanks Deidara. Come on already, you aren't gonna sit in here and think of all the ways Sasuke can die. Socialize."

"And if I don't?" I jumped on top of him and tickled. Deidara, along with myself, was very ticklish.

"No!" he pleaded, grabbing my waist and pushing me away from him. "Don't touch me." I flinched in surprise and moved my hair from my face. Deidara and I always wrestled and fought, so what was different now?

"What?" Deidara averted his crystal blue eyes.

"Nothing. Can you… just go?" I hesitated before leaving him alone. When the door closed, I heard him curse out loud and through a vase at the wall. He was angry, and wouldn't even tell me why.

Depressed, I made my way to my room. Avi was bustling about and Sasuke was sent to a cell, locked in chakra cuffs. Konan was working on a way to block off all of his chakra points so he would be unable to leave, contact someone or manage his weakest jutsu. He would be as vulnerable as a human, and he didn't even complain. After lunch, Avi made his way to Konan for _"school",_ and I had the whole day to myself. Sadly, Deidara refrained from talking to me, and I hoped it was something he would either get over or talk to me about. I hated it when he was mad at me.

I was bored out of my mind, having nothing to do. I tried sleeping to catch up with my sleep, but I ended up waking in a horrible mood. What really made my day was the message from Konan. I had to watch Sasuke in his cell. I shuffled down the deep, slippery stairs and watched as Sasuke watched me. For hours, we had staring contests, none of us saying a word.

I began nodding off after a while, but quickly trying to wake back up. I couldn't leave the prisoner unguarded.

"Yo, Sakura."

"What?" I yawned.

"I don't have a present for the kid."

I rolled my eyes. "If you ask me, you're enough of a present to him."

"I know that but still… what did you get him?"

"None of your business."

"Come on…" I narrowed my eyes. Sasuke sure was acting abnormal; even for his standards.

"Later." I muttered.

"You know, you were listening in to Avi and I this morning, and I want you to know that I meant every word I said."

"Good for you." Sasuke huffed then.

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"I'm not being stubborn at all. And if I was, what would it matter to you?"

"Who said it did matter?"

"No one, but it's obvious by you asking me that question, it mattered."

"Listen, I need to go back to the mansion. I can't just abandon them like you did to us. It isn't that easy for me if you know what I mean."

"No. I don't know what you mean. Do you care to explain?"

"I love my family and my friends enough not to abandon them. It's obvious it isn't hard for you to do, but I would like to –"

"I didn't abandon them!"

"Like hell you didn't. Don't tell me Akatsuki took you by force. I doubt that."

I was silent. "Sasuke…"

"What?"

I bit my lip. I was on the verge of asking him a question that haunted me for four years. It was thing I thought I knew about Sasuke, but wasn't really sure.

"Do you…" I sighed.

"Spit it out."

"Do you have a daughter all ready?" I watched his eyes widen. "I saw a picture. I girl with red hair, and you…"

Sasuke looked away. "You weren't supposed to—"

"I wasn't supposed to know?!"

"No—"

"I can't believe—"

"There you go, cutting me off without and explanation. It isn't my baby. And the _"red haired girl" _isn't who you think it is."

"Then who is it? Amuse me."

"Alesa. Alesa Uchiha."

"Alesa…" I closed my eyes and tried to remember the name. "Alesa…" I suddenly remembered. She was Itachi's dead girlfriend. "No way. She's dead."

"Someone changed her."

"Wait, so you're telling me Alesa Uchiha is alive?"

"Very much so."

"And…the kid?"

"Mai Uchiha. Itachi's and Alesa's daughter."

**Nothing much to say. Sorry for the short chapter, my dad rushed me off.**

**-Jazz Out  
**


	24. Chapter 24

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 24**

I left Sasuke's cell, thinking about Itachi and his family. How did all this happen without me knowing? Itachi had a _family_. One he never even knew about. He went decades thinking he was alone. He could've been happy again. While Avi was in school, I went to my room and prepared Avi's gift. I already knew what he wanted which was a Playstation, new action figures and of course, a basketball to go along with the goal he got a few weeks ago. I went in the closet and checked to make sure I had everything I needed and smiled to myself, remembering how he liked to snoop around my room to find them. I yawned and realized how tired I was and flopped on my bed.

"What am I gonna do?" I asked aloud. I couldn't help but think about Deidara. Did I do something wrong?

"Knock knock." I turned and looked at who was in the doorway. Speak of the devil.

"Deidara…are you…talking to me now?" he came and sat on the edge of my bed.

"Sorry about that kiddo. It's just…you're like the little sister I never had, and I be damned if I let someone hurt ya. Cuz then I'll just end up hurting them instead if you know what I mean."

I laughed. "I understand. Thanks Deidara. You had me worried for a second there."

"I figured I did, that's why I apologized. I want you to be happy Sakura Haruno. If it means I have to give you up to someone like him, so be it."

"Someone like—no I don't—" I started.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura. I'm slow, not stupid. I'm pretty damn sure you didn't give up on Sasuke like you said you did. Uchiha's tend to have this…_leech _affect on people. You just can't get 'em off." I paused, not responding to him. "Now get down there talk to Uchiha. I know you want to. I know he wants you to, and I want you to."

"But—"

"But nothing. If I have to drag you…"

"Okay." I stood and rolled my eyes. "What am I supposed to talk to him about?"

"You know, life… how everyone else back home is doing, and Avi."

"Deidara…"

"Sakura…"

"This isn't fair." I turned to leave. "Not fair at all."

"Yeah, I know. It's for a good cause. What do ya know, you can start making Avi a little sister!" Deidara called after me. I rolled my eyes and made my way downstairs back to Sasuke's cell all over again. Whe I made it down there,m I had a feeling it was too quiet and something wasn't wrong.

"Sasuke?"

I narrowed my eyes and glanced in his cell. He was hunched over, breathing heavily.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? He looked up. His face was pale and his eyes red with the Sharingan.

"N-Nothing."

"Come on now…"

"Go away, I-I'm fine, I swear." I stared at him for a second.

"Idiot! Why didn't you tell me you needed blood?" I rushed to the fridge in the corner and pulled out a water bottle with blood.I gave it to him and looked at it like it was the nastiest thing in the world.

"You're h-helping me."

"Well I can't let you die can I?" He opened the bottle and chugged it down. In no time, color came back to his face and his eyes were normal.

"Thank you."

I nodded. There was an awkward silence and I sat in front of his cell.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke asked.

"I wanted to talk…"

"About…"

I hesitated. "Us."

"Us?"

"Yeah. I…how is everyone?" I quickly changed the subject.

"Good. Naruto and Hinata are…married to say the least. Shikamaru, Temari, Tenten and Neji are doing well. Ino and Sai moved to California together, but I suppose they're doing well as well."

"Married, huh? Wow."

"Yeah. The ceremony was beautiful." There was another awkward silence, and this time, Sasuke broke it.

"Sakura, I want you to come back to us."

"I can't just up and leave."

"Yes you can. Avi can come too… and we miss you. _I_ miss you."

"Sasuke…" he reached for my hand through the bar.

"I never stopped loving you, Sakura. Don't tell me you've stopped loving me." I looked in his eyes. They were sincere, an emotion Sasuke rarely showed. "Please."

"Sasuke¸I—"

"Listen; when I thought you died, there was a part of me…it died with you. I was never the same Sakura. I…never gave up and I knew you were still here…somewhere." He paused and sighed. "And when I found you again, with Avi, it was like I had that stupid hope all over again. I know I've fucked up _so _many times, but now is my chance to make up for it. I can be a proper lover to you and a proper father to Avi." I bit my lip to keep from crying. "All I need from you is forgiveness for _everything _I've done to you. I will change for us. I promise you."

I looked away. Sasuke emptied out his feelings to me, but I still didn't know. I didn't want to live a life of heartbreak, but I didn't want to be alone either. I wouldn't deny it, I loved Sasuke, but was he the right one for me? For Avi? Tears came out of my eyes before I could stop them.

"I-I don't know Sasuke—I can't—"

"Mommy, mommies are ya down here?" I quickly wiped my eyes and smiled at the happy child. When he saw me with Sasuke, his face brightened.

"Sorry mommy. I'll go back upstairs." There was a sly smile on his face, and I guessed he knew to give Sasuke and me privacy. Avi scurried away, giggling, and left us again.

"Sasuke…I know you can change, but it's me. I want to be with you, but I don't know if _I _ can handle it. I-I'm scared."

"That's why I can help you. We can get through this Sakura. The three of us."

"Okay." I whispered.

"Okay?" he asked just as quiet as I was.

"Okay. I-I'll be with you. I want to try again." Sasuke let out a sigh of relief and gripped my hand tighter.

"I love you." He sighed.

"I love you too." I opened the cell door and undid the chakra cuffs on his wrists and ankles. Sasuke then wrapped me in a tight hug, and I felt as if my heart would explode. Konan and Deidara were right. I never got over Sasuke, and I knew I never would. I loved him too damn much. He pulled away from me and kissed me softly. Oh, how I missed those lips. There was a gasp, then a loud noise. Sasuke and I turned and saw Avi, Deidara, Konan and the rest of the Akatsuki staring at the two of us with smiles on their faces.

"Sorry kiddo. I tried to stop him but he was too excited…" Deidara snickered.

"Yay!!!" Avi ran to us and tackled me with a hug.

"Whoa! What's up?"

"Does this mean you and daddy are gonna be together again?" he asked. Avi looked to Sasuke hopefully.

"Yes sweetie it does." Avi then tackled Sasuke in a hug as well, causing the older man to chuckle and hug him back as well.

"I'm so happy. This is gonna be the best birthday ever!" I couldn't help but agree with the child. I looked at Avi and Sasuke, then at the Akatssuki.I was so happy. Everything was going to be better from here. I could just _feel_ it.

_**Damn. **_**It's been forever! And to think, I'M only updating cuz I'm homesick with the flu.**

**Yeah…**

**Well to all of my pessimistic readers, don't worry. Nothing bad is gonna be happening anytime soon. Nothin but happy sailing from here…**

**P.S ****If you don't mind, in your review, tell me one of your favorite FF stories so I can read. I'm having trouble finding a good, emotional, sad, sexy story to read so I'm leaving it to ya'all. Thanks!**

**--Jazz Out **


	25. To Love With The love of a Lover

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter…Dunno**

"…happy Birthday to you, happy birthday dear Avi, happy birthday to you!" I watched with a smile on my face as everyone sang happy birthday to me. I blew out my five candles and turned to Mommy and Daddy. Mommy leaned on Daddy's shoulder, holding his hand and smiling at me.

"Did you make a wish?" Konan asked me. I nodded, the smile never leaving my face.

"I already have my wish! Mommy and Daddy are happy!"

We ate the giant basketball cake and we opened presents after that. I got so much stuff! A basketball, video games, more action figure toys and even a big toy car I could ride around in. It was so cool! Now, I skipped to my mommy's room, and she wasn't there. Everybody left to do their own stuff, and left me alone as I played with my toys.

"Mommy? Where'd ya go?" I said out loud, and I pouted when nobody answered me. Jeez. _"Helloooooo_."

"Who're you lookin for kid?" Pein asked me. I looked up at the tall guy and shrugged.

"My mommy and my daddy."

"Did you check your father's room? Or outside? The cell, the library…"

I groaned when I realized all the searching I had to do. Just for my parents. "No." I mumbled and walked off. I wanted to play basketball before it got too dark outside and they just disappeared! I checked daddy's room and only saw an unmade bed. The cell was empty too. Konan was the only one in the library and she made me read two chapters in my book while I was there. _Boring! _

Where did they go? I asked Deidara and he said they went to run errands a while ago, so they should be back, right? It was already getting dark outside and I decided to check outside. I was so mad. My parents just went _poof _ on my birthday.

"Mommy, daddy!" I called out. "Where are you!" I swung my arms at my side while I ran around the woods in the back yard. Mommy didn't like it when I went back here, but that's where they were, right? "Helloooooo! Mommy. Daddy." Oh great, now I had to pee. I ran a little faster until I heard a small noise in the bushes. "Mommy?"

"What are you doing?" I turned around at the voice and froze. Whoa. Who was this? The guy was really tall. Like my daddy. And he had black hair like my daddy too. There were scars all over his face and he had muscles like the guys you see in Dragon Ball Z.

"I'm looking for my Mommy and Daddy. Have you seen them?" he didn't answer me and I frowned. He started the conversation. Rude butt. "Well? Have ya?"

His eyes changed to a purple color from the blue, and he started glaring at me. Why was he being so mean?

"I can't talk to you anyway!" I took a sharp turn and stomped away from the DBZ guy.

"Hey." He mumbled to me. I turned around again, my hand on my hips.

"What—"

The guy was right in front of me and I looked at his purple eyes, frozen. I gasped and my hands fell at my sides. Why couldn't I move?

"Don't scream." He said simply. I trembled, and then I screamed. I felt wetness in my pants, and suddenly I didn't have to potty anymore, especially when I passed out.

**:**

"You guys haven't seen Avi have you?" I asked Deidara and Konan.

"Yeah about an hour ago. I thought he was with you kiddo."

I frowned. " No I just got back from running errands with Sasuke. God, I thought you were watching him Deidara!" I hurried away from the two but Konan called after me.

"Hey did you check outside? I think he was playing basketball."

"Dammit! It's too dark out there…" I mumbled to myself. "Sasuke come with me please." I looked at Sasuke with pleading eyes, and he nodded. I walked again before Sasuke gripped my hand.

"It's ok Sakura. He's a kidd. He's probably just, you know, running around."

"Y-you're right." I forced a smile on my face as Sasuke kissed me. "Come on." We left the house and called for Avi outside. "Avi! Are you out here?"

"Mommy?" Sasuke and I turned to see our little boy walking towards us with outstretched arms. I welcomed him and sighed in relief.

"I thought I told you to not to come out here by yourself."

"I-I know." Avi muttered.

"And why are you so dirty. Look at you, you're a mess!" I looked at my son's muddy clothing, then at his stoic expression. One too stoic for a 5 year-old. I gasped. "A-Avi, where did this blood come from?" The aroma suddenly hit my nose, and I sighed at how…_good _it smelled.

"I fell." Sasuke moved to beside me. No. The blood was not Avi's.

"Avi, are you ok?" he asked him. Sasuke knelt down to Avi's level and grabbed his hands.

Avi simply nodded. I felt Sasuke's chakra rise slightly and he touched Avi's forehead.

"He seems to be fine…but I can't help but think there's something…_wrong._"

"W-Whaddya mean wrong?" my eyes traveled to my son, and back to Sasuke. I wouldn't deny it. Something was wrong. The blood. God, the blood. His eyes were blank, and something about his small chakra didn't hold as much energy as it did before.

"Avi, sweety, did you talk to anybody? Or see anybody in there?" I pointed to the woods and watched his expression. Avi nodded. I was surprised and I knelt down next to Sasuke.

"Who? What happened? What did he do to you? Who was bleeding?" I demanded.

"Nothing mommy. He gave me candy."

"What candy!" Avi reached in his pocket and pulled out a plain wrapper. Sasuke snatched it from his hand and his eyes narrowed.

"This has some kind of charm infused with it. Avi must be under some kind of…genjutsu."

"T-Then break it." Sasuke held Avi and attempted to break the genjutsu. Suddenly, Avi gasped and screamed, thrashing in Sasuke's arms.

"Avi, Avi! It's us, it's ok!" I grabbed Avi and he held me tightly.

"I c-couldn't find you a-and the guy…h-he was l-looking at me with scary eyes and I-I had to potty…" my eyes traveled to his pants, the wet spot where he peed on himself. "I-I couldn't move and I passed out.H-He said he was gonna hurt me and Deidara and you and Daddy. I g-got really mad and he…"

"He what?" Sasuke looked at Avi sincerely. Avi wiped his eyes.

"He started t-to scream and he started bleeding from his ears…and his eyes and h-his nose and m-mouth. I tried to help him and he just… he died. I-I tried to help him mommy, I'm sorry!"

I looked at Sasuke and his worried expression.

"I-I killed him didn't I?" Avi looked at the two of us until Sasuke cleared his throat.

"Avi, you awakened your powers."

"Powers? Like what you and mommy have?"

"Yes."

"Wait a second! How did this happen?" I demanded, confused.

Sasuke turned to me and smiled slightly. "It was the same for me. Most of your powers are triggered by a strong emotion. It happened to you and me as well. It just happened to Avi a little early."

" So there's nothing to worry about, right?" I asked Sasuke. He smiled at me and shook his head.

"No. But you take Avi inside, and I'm gonna check out the scene."

"Alright. Thank you."

"Of course." Sasuke kissed Avi's forehead then my lips. "I love you." He whispered in my ear. Avi gripped my hand and I looked down at his wide smile.

"I love you too." I told him. I walked Avi back inside, unable to shake the feeling of happiness when I realized Sasuke was really hear to stay.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"Are you mad at me. I k-killed somebody."

"No, baby I'm not. I'm just glad you're safe. Now lets go get you cleaned up birthday boy. To tell the truth, I was slightly worried about Avi. Would he be ok, even after seeing all that blood? Even after killing somebody?

"…and it was so much fun!" I caught the last of Avi's phrase, but it didn't take me long to realize he was talking about his birthday experience. I went to his room with him and pulled some clothes out of his dresser.

"Whatcha doin?" he asked me, hands on his hips, a look of confusion on his face.

"Getting your clothes. Duh." I smiled.

"I'm a big boy. I can do it all by myself." Avi reached for the clothes but I lifted them so they were just out of his reach.

"I don't think so."

"_Please…" _ Avi pouted and I gave in. Could you really deny such a face? If Avi wanted to bathe himself, I didn't mind. Of course, I would be waiting here for him but if he felt he had to be independent, so be it.

"Ok fine." I handed Avi his clothes and he started doing that silly victory dance of his. The Cabbage Patch and the Running Man. I laughed at him and shook my head.

"Get in the bath Avi. You're spreading your funk all over your room."

"Okay _okay."_

When Avi entered the shower, Sasuke poke his head around the corner with a smile.

"What'd you figure out?"

"A Rogue. No one important. And boy, Avi is definitely our child." I stood and approached Sasuke. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his head on my shoulder.

"Because," his breath tickled my ear. "He totally kicked that Rogue's ass. His powers are already amazing for his age, but to kill a Rogue? By the time he's an adult, his power will probably exceed the both of ours put together."

"Wow…that's just…_amazing._"

"You know, he got it from his mother. The strength…the personality…the irresistible adorable looks…" Sasuke kissed my neck and I sighed.

"W-What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Avi got plenty of things from you." Sasuke slid the sleeve of my shirt passed my shoulders and kissed my collarbone.

"Tch. The sexy hair." I giggled and ran my fingers through that _sexy hair _of his. "Sakura…" Sasuke backed me into the door and kissed my lips, that undeniable passion there. "I want you." He whispered huskily in my ear, and he kissed me again. That sent me over the edge, and I hadn't realized how much I yearned for his body until he said those three words. I shuddered.

"N-Not here."

"My room." He whispered again.

"A-Avi. I want to make sure he's ok in there by himself." Sasuke quickly made a clone, who sat on the edge of the bed, facing the bathroom door. Through the door, I could hear Avi singing horribly off tune to the latest Brittany Spears song.

"All eyes on me in the center of the ring uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh!"

"Now?" he slid his hands up my shirt, his cold, long fingers sending shivers up my body.

"Oh, yes." I grabbed the collar of Sasuke's dress shirt and pulled him down to a rough, chaste kiss. He actually moaned and I followed him to his room, his grip tight on mine. I sent a message to Deidara using the small bond we had and told him to, well, not to disturb us and he replied saying everyone was gonna play a _long _game of Monopoly. What would I do without Deidara? As soon as Sasuke and I were in his room, Sasuke attacked me with such fierceness, I was momentarily stunned.

He removed my shirt and kissed my tender neck, leaving marks, marking me as his own. I moaned and sent my fingers to his raven locks, pushing him harder against me. I fell back against the bed and sighed.

"P-Put a chakra barrier around the room. I-I don't want anyone hearing us." Sasuke did and nibbled my ear before he spoke.

"I don't know how long it's gonna stay up. "His hands slipped under my shirt, pulling it over my head. Long fingers found their way to my back, expertly undoing each hook of my bra. Then the fabric was being slowly pulled down my arms and unceremoniously thrown to the floor. Strong hands wrapped themselves around my breasts, squeezing them gently. Hardened nipples were rolled and pinched between two skilled fingers.

"My love." Sasuke whispered, nuzzling against me, my whimpers turning into moans

As one hand continued to massage a pert breast, Sasuke's fingers slowly traveled to the waistband of my now wet underwear. Sasuke's fingertips lightly played with my mounds before brushing against my soft, slippery folds. He trailed my wetness from core to the red flesh above it, drawing circles upon it at an agonizingly fast pace. My breaths were ragged, turning into a sigh of relief only when two long fingers finally plunged themselves deep inside of me. I spread my legs wider, eagerly giving Sasuke easier access. My hips bucked involuntarily, bumping against his already hardened length, making him even more aroused. What had been slow in and out movements between my legs quickly turned into thrusts. I felt myself losing to waves of intense pleasure and even as I arched my back, my head against his chest, screaming Sasuke's name, he didn't stop until I came.

I was still trembling when Sasuke nuzzled against my ear yet again and whispered,

"I love you so much."

I felt the waistband of my panties slowly tugged down and I helped Sasuke take them off with ease. God, he made me want him so badly. Sasuke was now lowering the waistband of his own underwear. And then I felt a hardness press against my entrance. It teasingly slid up and down the length of my slit before taking its slow entrance between my folds, burying itself completely deep inside of my body. I gasped and ran my shaky fingers through Sasuke's hair, sweat appearing on my forehead.

"Tell me when." He said against my ear. I smiled slightly.

"When, when. Go." I practically begged, but you would have too. This man…

Sasuke planted soft, sweet kisses on my neck as he pulled out of me. I inhaled, he exhaled. He positioned himself, and then sunk back in. We've only made love once, but now, we did it as if we had done this a million times before. It felt so good, so right...so perfect. _He _ felt so good, so right, so perfect. I was helplessly in love with Sasuke Uchiha and I seriously questioned if anything could ever go wrong again. The way our bodies practically melted with one another's, the way—although I knew he tried to remain calm—Sasuke whispered my name in groans with _so much intensity_ simply made me so damn happy.

Our hearts pounding in our chests, our breaths quick and panting, Sasuke lovingly wrapped his arms around me and thrusted deeper, faster. I suppressed the urge to scream, and I knew that I wouldn't last much longer.

"Oh god…" I whispered, clawing at Sasuke's bare, muscled back. Tears arose in my green eyes, but not because I was in pain or hurting. No. I was just overcome in such strong emotions of happiness; I couldn't help but shed a few tears. "I love you s-so much Sasuke…so much." I stared into his deep obsidian eyes just as they swirled red with the Sharingan.

Sasuke attempted to kiss my forehead, but missed and kissed the side of my face. Before I knew it, he gave two long, hard thrusts before letting out a guttural moan, and coming inside of me. I followed immediately after, unable to suppress my cry.

Sasuke collapsed on top of me and kissed my forehead. "I will be with you forever. You are the love of my long, long life." Sasuke chuckled and tucked the pink strands of hair that stuck to my face behind my ear. "You and Avi are the best things that have ever happened to me, and without you in my life…I don't know what I would do. If you love me as much I love you…we will be so happy together. I swear, I'm not really good at this whole proposal thing." Sasuke smiled and I gasped. No way!

"Sakura, marry me."

I gasped and couldn't control the tears running down my face.

"If you don't—"

"S-Sasuke," I sighed and reached up to his lips to whisper, "Yes."

Sasuke smiled at me and kissed me once more. What could go wrong? Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Shit.

Sasuke and I stood immediately, quickly throwing clothes over our bodies.

"Are you Sasuke Uchiha?" a deep voice asked in the darkness. Sasuke gripped my hand tightly.

"Who wants to know?" As the two men talked, I sent Deidara a quick message.

'_Deidara can you keep Avi down there for a minute? And by the way, I'm getting married.'_

'Damn Sakura. You guys didn't waste any time did you?' I almost smiled at Deidara's comment, but I noticed that the man took two steps forward to the two of us. The man masked his chakra, so I was pretty sure everyone downstairs wouldn't feel him.

"Who are you and what do you want?" I demanded, baring my fangs.

"I came here for Sasuke Uchiha, and I'm going to get him you little bitch." I flinched and Sasuke put his defenses up.

"Let's see you try—" Sasuke froze and fell to the ground unconscious.

"S-Sasuke…" I knelt beside him and gasped. He was bleeding from his nose and mouth. But…how? I shot up and charged the man, but I myself froze, falling to the ground.

No.

There was a small knock on the door and it opened just as the man performed a jutsu to look like Sasuke.

No! I tried to scream, but nothing left my mouth.

Avi ran in the room and gave that man a hug so big, I thought the man would break in two.

"Whoa! What's the rush?" he said. His voice…my Sasuke's. I tried to break the jutsu, but it was too strong for me. Sasuke was moved to the corner of the room, out of sight, and I remained on the floor, slowly loosing consciousness.

"I love you Daddy!"

"I love you too Evi."

**:**

When I finally got out the shower, I found Daddy sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Hi, Daddy!" I jumped on the bed and tackled him, expecting him to fight back but he just…disappeared instead. "Huh." I sighed. It must have been a part of his powers. I left my room and went downstairs. A smile went to my face when I smelled Mc Donald's. I knew that French fry smell anywhere.

"Yo kiddo, I hear you had your first Rogue experience." Deidara crept behind me and gripped my shoulders. I giggled and shrugged.

"You mean the bad guy? He was mean, b-but I didn't mean to kill him."

Deidara ruffled my hair and smiled at me. "No worries. That bad guy was gonna hurt you. You did the right thing." Deidara bent over so he was looking me in the eye. "You know what this means don't you?"

"We get to eat Mc Donald's?" I grinned.

"Um, no. What is it with you and your sick fascination of fast food and Brittany Spears?"

I shrugged. "What're ya talkin' about?" I asked him. Deidara sighed and ruffled my hair again.

"This means you get to start your training. To work on your powers." My face brightened.

"Really? I can do it with you and Mommy and Sasori and Pein and Konan and Hidan and Kakuzu and To—"

"Yes. All of us."

"**Woohoo!**" I jumped in the air and went on and on about how fun I was going to have. Finally I got to see how to use my powers. I can be strong like my parents and beat al those Rogue guys up.

"Alright hold on there champ. By now, I know you're hungry. You haven't eaten in hours so…" Deidara straightened up and pulled a Mc Donald's bag from the counter. "I got you two double cheese burgers. Don't tell your mother." He handed it to me.

I snatched the bag away and smiled. "Dreams do come true!" and I ran to the living room with everyone else. They were playing a game of Monopoly, and I hated that game. I always lost. "Oh." I turned to Deidara and Konan.

"Where'd Mommy and Daddy go? They disappeared again?"

Deidara scratched his head and hesitated. Konan blushed and pulled a card. "They're… _asleep._ It's kinda been a long day."

"Oh. Okay." I shrugged it off and shoved the hamburgers down my throat. Greasy deliciousness. Suddenly, before I could even move, Deidara jumped up, a smile on his face.I turned away from _Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo _and looked at Deidara. Everyone else did too, curiosity on everyone's face.

"He proposed to her." He said. What did that mean again? Konan's eyes widened and she stood as well.

"Oh, this is wonderful! I can't wait to pick out the dress!"

"When is it?" Sasori asked. Deidara shrugged.

"She sent me a message so I'm not sure. She seems really happy." Deidara was happy too. Jeez, what was going on?

"Can somebody—" I started, but stopped when Hidan yawned loudly.

"This is gonna be difficult. Deidara, Sasori, you do know we're gonna have to…"

"Yes." Sasori and Deidara said at the same time.

"What is going on. Lost five year old here." I frowned when Deidara laughed at me. "What?"

"Nothing. Sasuke, I mean your daddy proposed to your mom."

"I don't know what that means."

"They're getting married."

I pursed my lips and sighed. "I thought they were already married. When people are together aren't they married?"

Sasori actually laughed at me. "Not exactly. Being married means, well, they are your mommy and daddy times 2."

"OH! That makes since then." I shot up and started running up the steps.

"Where're you going?"

"I wanna see them!" I hurried to my mommy's room and knocked. She didn't answer, so I went to my daddy's and the door opened when I knocked. I tackled daddy in a hug when he opened and I was happy when he didn't disappear.

"Whoa there! What's the rush?"

"I love you daddy!"

"I love you too Evi."

I frowned and looked at my dad. "Evi?"

"Oh," he laughed nervously. "did I say that?" I shrugged it off and ran in the room in excitement.

"Sasori told me you and mommy are going to be times 2 !" I smiled and my daddy smiled back. I looked around the room and narrowed my eyes. My mommy was on the floor? Hm. I went over to her and smiled. She was sleeping!

"Mommy wake up! I wanna talk to ya!" I shook her shoulders but she didn't answer. I looked up at Daddy. "Is she ok?"

"Yeah, we were playing a game and she's playing sleep."

"But she's not answering!" I shook her some more and began getting angry. "Mommy wake up!" I rolled her over so she was facing me fully and saw the blood smeared on her face. "M-Mommy?" I faced daddy and glared at him. "What's wrong with her. What did you do!"

"I told you, you little brat. She's playing sleep." I narrowed my eyes. I narrowed my eyes at the man. My Daddy isn't this mean. My Daddy is nice, so there was only one thing I could come up with.

This wasn't my real Daddy.

"You aren't Daddy." I was so mad! The daddy look-alike began changing into another man, and I gasped. He looked like the DBZ man, but…he wasn't. He had brown hair and brown eyes, but everything else looked like the other guy. "Where's daddy!"

"Dead."

"No he isn't you liar! What did you do to mommy!" the man was in front of me in an instant, glaring at me with his now purple eyes. I gasped.

"Dead."

Tears welled up in my eyes and I hit the man as hard as I could. He didn't even move. "You liar!"

"Shut it up!" he swiped his hand and sent me flying across the room. I started crying when I tried to get up. I hated him. _**I hated him! **_ It felt like a part of me was slowly…taking over like an alien invasion. I felt super strong and I was still so mad. The man went at me and tried to hit me again. I brought my hand up to block my face, and it actually worked! It didn't even hurt when he punched my arm.

DBZ man number 2 smiled and grabbed my mommy by her shirt.

"NO! Leave her alone!" he lifted her in the air and threw her back down with so much force, everything in the room shook. "_**No! No, no no!!!"**_

A growl escaped my lips and I felt my teeth get sharper, just like what Deidara's teeth did when he got mad. The man staggered back and narrowed his eyes.

"What the—" but I had already ran at him and pushed him against the door. The door broke in two and he fell through with a grunt. He started bleeding and saying some really bad words at me. So what? I jumped on top of him and started hitting his face as hard as I could. He didn't fight back and I noticed, as soon as the blood got on my face, that he was bleeding through his eyes, nose, mouth and ears again.

He was dead. The powers I had before disappeared, and I backed away from the dead Rogue, shivering. I did it again. Why did I do this?

'_No worries. That bad guy was gonna hurt you. You did the right thing.'_

I ran downstairs to find Deidara and Sasori, but when I went there, I found everyone lying on the floor, bleeding from the face. I was starting to cry again until I heard someone clear their throat. I turned and faced another man. He was tall as well but he didn't have DBZ muscles. He had really spiky blonde hair and light blue eyes that looked…nice. He had little whisker marks and a smile on his face.

"I know those eyes anywhere." The tall guy stepped forward, but I stepped back.

"Lemme alone." I whispered. I didn't want to fight anymore. "Who are you?"

The man got on one knee and smiled a sharp-toothed smile. "Naruto Uzumaki. But you can call me Uncle Naruto."

**Whew! I got a lot of fluff and citrus in this chapter huh? Did you like? It only took me—surprisingly—one and a half days to type. How cute is Avi? The sweetest, ne? And Sasuke and Sakura? Reunited and it felt so good? I'm sure it did. Anything surprise you?**

**Oh wait.**

**THE PROPOSAL…**

**Right…**

**And Avi's powers are a little scary, but I'll get to that in the next 1,000 word chapter ******

**Love ya**

—**Jazz Out**


	26. It's Over

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 26**

"But you can call me Uncle Naruto."

I frowned and looked around the scary room, then back at Naruto. "Uncle? I-I have an Uncle. U-Uncle Deidara…is he o-okay."

Naruto looked at Deidara and nodded. "Everyone is fine. It was a genjutsu they were put under." I stepped backwards.

"Did you do this to them? Did you hurt mommy and daddy?" I asked. Naruto frowned and glanced upstairs. Without answering he ran up the stairs. I followed.

"Wait! What's going on!" I avoided the body and ran in the room where Naruto went. He was next to my mommy, stroking her face.

"Don't touch her! Only daddy can touch her." When I said that, he went to the corner of the room.

"What the hell." He muttered as he pulled my daddy from the darkness. He looked just like my mom.

"Daddy…"I started to cry, causing Naruto to look at me.

"Don't cry kid, they're ok."

"But t-they're bleeding and…"

Naruto smiled at me. "Trust me. I've known your mommy and daddy for a long time. They'll be just fine. What's your name?"

"A-Avi."

"Well Avi, can you bring some towels and water downstairs. And as many bed sheets you can carry."

"O-Okay." Naruto picked up my mommy and daddy and carried them downstairs. When he left I gathered all the towels in the bathrooms, wetting some of them. Then I got all of the covers from the bedroom and ran down the stairs.

"Naruto, I got the stuff." I saw Naruto hunched over my mother with his hands over her. They were glowing green and I figured it was a part of his power.

"Good. Your daddy is healed and so are the others. I'm working on your mother so can you wrap the others in the blankets and put the wet towels over their foreheads?"

"Okay." I did what he said, and I noticed that they looked better than they did before Naruto healed them. When Naruto was done with me mother, I gently placed the towel over her forehead and tucked her in the blankets.

"How old are you Avi? About 5?"

I nodded. "Today is my birthday, but it's the worst birthday ever. I only wanted mommy and daddy to be happy but look at them now!"

"I know they'll be happy when they wake up. Everyone will, especially when they see all the hard work you put in to make sure they're okay." I shrugged slightly. "How about we get you cleaned up."

"But… I can do it by myself."

"One quick question before you leave Avi."

"Yes?"

"Do you know what your power is?" I sighed and shook my head.

"I'm a monster. I killed two people already." I turned away from Naruto. "This is my fault!" I ran to the bathroom with tears running down my face. If only I didn't kill the first Rogue, this wouldn't have happened. It was my fault.

**:**

I had to know what Avi's power was. I asked him, and when I did, I couldn't help but notice how his shoulders fell and his lips turned downward. He was blaming himself for killing that Rogue. They were going to die even if Avi didn't kill them. I sighed and looked around. Poor kid. I glanced at the unconscious Sakura and smiled to myself. Even though she was unconscious, I could feel the amount of chakra radiating from her body. She was strong. She'd grown up.

Avi…

Did this really mean I was an uncle? I mean…Hinata and I couldn't have a child, and Sasuke was like a brother to me. I was pretty sure I was grinning like an idiot now. I was an uncle. I closed my eyes and tried to contact Hinata through our bond.

'_Hinata-chan, are you there?'_

'_**Naruto? Where are you? You have us worried sick!'**_

'_It's a long story. I found Sasuke.'_

'_**What about…'**_

'_Sakura? Got her.' _There was a long silence, and I could feel Hinata through me. She was happy. Bonds always allowed you to be closer to someone you cared about. It allowed you to feel the emotions from that person, and sometimes chakra can be shared as well.

'_**Naruto…bring them home. Please?'**_

'_You know I will. But I have a question for you.'_

'_**Yes, anything.'**_

'_How do you feel about the name Hinata-obasan?'_

'_**Aunt? Who…how…'**_

'_Sasuke's and Sakura's son Avi.'_

'_**Are you serious? Naruto this is…amazing!'**_

"Naruto-san I'm done." I turned to Avi. He held his bloody clothing in a little plastic bag and I smiled at his newer Batman pajamas.

'_Babe, I have to go. I love you.'_

'_**I love you to. Can you tell Avi I said hello.'**_

'_I will.'_

"Avi you're hungry aren't you?"

"No. I already had McDonald's. But… can I have some juice? I'm thirsty."

"Go ahead." I watched Avi as he went to the kitchen. He was still down, and his aura still held a little sadness. I knew what his power was, and it wasn't something to take lightly. It was strong, and far too advanced for someone his age. He had the ability to control and destroy the mind, which is what he did. Avi practically fried the Rogue's brain from the inside out. Just the thought...

"Naruto-san can you tell me what I did?" I looked at the little boy who sat next to me. His brow was furrowed. Damn, he looked just like Sasuke when he did that.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, how did I kill those guys?" When I didn't answer right away he sighed loudly.

"It's bad isn't it? It's really really bad."

"Wait a second Avi. What you did wasn't bad. Those Rouges were going to kill you and everyone else in here. You _saved _everybody." Avi perked up at that.

"I…did?"

"That's right Avi. You're only 5 years old and you saved your entire family."

"But how?" before I answered him, I turned around. I could see moving behind me and when I turned, _Uncle _Deidara was looking dead at me. His face twisted to a sneer as he gripped the wet towel in his hand.

"Deidara!" Avi ran to him and practically mauled him in a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay. Baka!"

"What I do?" Deidara looked at Avi with a smile.

"You're _supposed _to be super strong. But _**nooo." **_

"My defenses were down."

"Of course they were." The sarcasm dripped from Avi's voice. Deidara looked at me again, then glanced at Avi.

"Who's this? What's he doing here?"

"This is Naruto Uzumaki! He said he was my uncle but I said you were too. He helped me help you 's really nice."

"Oh really." Deidara wasn't buying it.

"Yeah, really." I replied and glared back at him.

"Hey you guys…" Out the corner of my eye, more movement. Konan and Sasori sat up, followed by the other Akatsuki members. When Avi was done greeting everyone that was conscious, and receiving complements from them, he noticed that two other people hadn't woken up.

"Naruto-san, why aren't they wakin' up?"

I…don't know Avi." Konan went over to Sakura and checked for any extra jutsus that would've caused this.

"She's fine, so is Sasuke. I honestly have no idea…" Konan turned to me for a split moment and gave me a nod of acceptance. "Thank you Naruto Uzumaki. You saved our lives."

I shrugged off her apology. "Avi did the most work. You should thank him." And just so quickly, out of nowhere, Sakura's eyes sprang open and she jumped up, taking in sharp breaths of air. Sasuke awoke as well, but didn't react as drastic as Sakura did. Sakura gasped and looked around then flopped back down on the floor next to Sasuke.

"M-Mommy are you okay?" Avi whispered. Sasuke touched Sakura's hand and she flinched, a gasp leaving her lips.

"Sakura." He sadi softly to her. She stared at her hands and stood once more, her eyes finding mine for the first time. There was pain in her green eyes, and I knew immediately that something had happened. Something terribly wrong. The room was silent, and everyone's eyes was on Sakura. Avi watched with concern and I could tell he felt rejected.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Sasuke turned and gazed in Sakura's eyes. She shivered. "Baby look at me." He touched her cheek and she let out a whimper.

"N-No. Don't touch me. Oh…_god_." Sakura broke out in shivers and leaned over with a cry. "Oh god."

"Come on , tell me." Sasuke pushed on."Please."

"I can't, I-I can't…" she broke out in sobs, her body trembling. "He's coming. He's coming for us."

"Who?" I finally demanded.

"I had a v-vision. Sasuke a-and Avi were…" she cried again. "Everyone was gone. I-It was just me…just…me…"

I winced. She couldn't possibly be talking about…

"O-Orochimaru. He's coming. He's coming for us." Her knees buckled and she landed in Sasuke's arms. I shook my head and leaned against the wall, eyes closed in thought. Orochimaru wouldn't make such a risky move…would he? No. But…why did she have that premonition. Why…would she go through so much pain with the thought of losing her family if it wasn't true? Avi gripped the sides of his shirt, clueless to what was going on, and why his mother was crying.

But I knew. Orochimaru was a Rogue, and a former Akatsuki member so strong, he was feared by vampires everywhere. He was the head gun in his organization _Snake _and was absolutely unstoppable. If Orochimaru was coming after us, then there was no hope. We would die. God damn, it was over.

**Okay. This chapter is dedicated to three people.**

**My reviewers of course**

**Ms. Lautner's mother and father for producing a **_god _**named **_Taylor Lautner (who just so happens to have the sexiest fucking body in the world)_**.**

**To Stephanie Meyer for being such a genius.**

–**Jazz Out**


	27. Rebound

**A.N :WELL… it's been what, a year(almost 4 months)? I know I haven't updated in ages and A LOT has happened in four months. Laptop, birthdays, college programs (I'm 15) and 13 hour softball tournaments… etc. Anywho. I think I'm getting back in the writing groove—slowly—so expect updates! I promise! Oh and I've been getting drama about my OOC Sasuke and Sakura. Put yourself in their shoes, kay…there? Understand? Good. Haha well I must agree about my Sasuke. He's a little mushy…time to spice things up! MUWAHAHAHAHA.**

**--Jazz Out**

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 26**

_By the time I had time to assess the situation; things had begun spiraling out of control. Sakura was still in her distraught state, Avi questioning and questioning and Naruto pacing around the room quickly, muttering under his breath. The Akatsuki members disposed of the bodies and began thinking of ways to handle the new news. I…I on the other hand thought of how many ways I could kill Orochimaru with my bare hands, especially for putting the ones I cared about in danger._

"_Daddy…?" I looked up at Avi's face, his lip quivering and his eyes glassy. "Your eyes are red."_

_I closed my eyes and opened them again. Black, better. "Come sit." I gestured for him to sit in my lap so I could give him the attention he so needed. Avi dragged his feet and flopped in my lap._

"_Can you tell me what's going on? Nobody else will."_

_I sighed quietly. "There are bad people out here Avi," Pein was yelling at Kakuzu to cover tracks and find Orochimaru's hideout. "There's one guy though, who's especially bad."_

"_Orochimaru?"_

_I narrowed my eyes. "Yes. Orochimaru."_

"_Why is it so bad then? I know my family can handle that guy, it's easy—"'_

"_No, Avi. It is not that simple."_

_Avi sighed and rested his head on my shoulder with a yawn. "I trust you Daddy…"_

"_I know you do." Avi didn't speak after that, but instead fell asleep. When I was sure he wouldn't stir, I placed him on the sleeping bag and stood to gather the group. Things were finally about to get done._

**:**

" Are the barriers set?"

"Yes. East, West and South wing cleared." Kakuzu muttered. I looked back at Avi and cleared my throat again.

"What is our strategy?"

Pein's eyes bore into mine before he glanced around the small living room. "We cannot manage an attack, and we cannot reveal our location. The best thing we can do, which I'm sure you will agree on Uchiha-san, is to meet Orochimaru head on."

"Head on?"

"Yes. I have already prepared a train for you, Uzumaki, Sakura and Avi. It will take you to about 24 hours to reach your destination."

"And that is…?" I asked.

"It's the underground coven, _**Rose**_. The vampires there are neutral in war, so do not provoke them."

"When is our departure planned? I have things to plan before we leave."

"I have the schedule planned for tomorrow morning." I nodded. "One more thing Uchiha-san,"

"Yes."

"I trust you will not harm Sakura or the young one."

I narrowed my eyes in a glare at the man. "No. I won't."

"Good. I do believe you said you had…_plans _to complete?" Pein nodded and turned away, following Kakuzu outside. Sakura was in the same spot, knees to her chin and eyes downcast. I sauntered over to her and sat close. Naruto disappeared and re-appeared frequently, having brief conversations with Kakashi.

"Sakura…" I whispered. She looked up for a moment and looked back down. "We have a strategy Sakura, but it's going to require cooperation."

"I'm listening." Naruto sat beside us and exchanged a look with Naruto.

I cleared my throat before proceeding. "Pein has prepared transportation to Rose."

"The neutral coven?" Naruto asked.

"Yes."

"And what will we do while we're there? Sit and wait to die?" Sakura flinched. "We have to _something._"

"Sakura and other caretakers will watch over Avi I presume. You and I will be trained to fight. As much as I hate to, it has to be done."

Sakura sniffed. "Is it war?"

"It will be war if Orochimaru makes the first move. Orochimaru is strategic, meaning he won't make the first move unless he knows it will be beneficial to his clan. Do you mind watching over Avi? If you aren't, alternatives can be discussed."

"It's fine. He's my child, right?"

Naruto grinned suddenly. "You, know, he looks just like you two. I recognized him the moment I saw him." Sakura let her lips turn up slightly. "Don't worry about the situation Sakura-chan. Between me, teme and the rest of the family, everything is under control!"

Sakura let out a sigh when Naruto said the word _family_. "I'm pretty sure they hate me Naruto. Especially after everything I've put them through."

Naruto tapped Sakura's forehead and rolled his eyes. "Hello, earth to Sakura! Did that Rogue hit you hard enough? Everyone's been _itching_ to see you again. Kakashi's starting to get gray hairs, it's been so long!" Sakura laughed at the dry joke and I rolled my eyes.

"How are you and Hinata doing?"

"Better than ever. She's so much fun to be around and one time, she said this joke. It was like—"

"Dobe, you can joke later. Have you contacted Sai?"

"Yes, he's already preparing his flight."

"Neji and Shikamaru?"

"Same."

"Alright. Sakura, do you mind if I speak with you for a moment?"

Naruto cleared his throat. "You don't have to leave, I'll go…"

"No it's fine Naruto." I stood and grabbed Sakura's hand gently pulling her up. Naruto caught her before she turned away and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"It's nice seeing you again Sakura-chan."

"You too, Naruto." I led Sakura out the back that led to the woods. She remained silent, and I found myself annoyed at her lack of ability to take part in the situation. We were all in this together, and sulking could not be handled. When I found the perfect spot to stop, I sat, Sakura mimicking my actions.

"Sakura I need you to trust me." I said, blunt and concise.

"I do trust—"

"You don't trust me enough," my voice was harsher than necessary, but if it got the point across… "Why are you upset? If it's about Orochimaru, it's nothing to worry about! If you trusted me and my judgment, you would know that I have everything under control—"

"Control?" Sakura stood and glared down at me. _Finally._ I thought. It was about time she gave me a decent reaction. "How would you feel if you had a vision of Avi and me dying? Being _tortured _and _killed_? You wouldn't want to skip through fucking flowers!"

"No I wouldn't. I would want to kill the son of a bitch before he had the chance, which is exactly what we are going to do." I stood slowly and grabbed her hand. She snatched it away. "Listen," I softened my voice. "I guess you aren't letting up so I'm not going to try anymore. We have to leave early tomorrow so I suggest you say your goodbyes tonight. There are no guarantees you will see these people again."

Sakura sighed. "Okay." She turned to leave, and when her back was turned, I ran my fingers through my dark hair.

'_Dammit, why do you make this so hard?'_

I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped. Now was not the time. I shoved my hands in my pockets and instantly felt the velvet box that was tucked away. I proposed to Sakura, yes, but due to the interruptions earlier, I didn't have time to give her the ring. Every ounce of me hoped she liked the ring, but I had a feeling she would. This _was _Sakura after all.

When Sakura was out of sight, I activated my Sharingan and scanned our surroundings. The barriers were set and secure, and everything was ready. I closed my eyes with discontentment.

"Brother, what do I do now?" I received no answer obviously, but it felt as if the silence was just enough. A smirk found my lips. I found my answer.

**:**

After my final conversation with the Akatsuki leader, I dropped Avi off in his room and began to settle down in _my_ room. Fatigue from the lack of blood made my movements sluggish, and I reminded myself to get blood in the morning before we left. When I reached my room, there was a note with messy handwriting on my bed, and I immediately recognized the writing as Naruto's.

_I had to leave early to meet up with Kakashi, but I'll be sure to make it in the morning. Also, while you were out, I examined Avi. He has a pretty destructive power for a five-year old so be sure to watch him. It's kinda hard to determine it exactly _what _it is, but from what I can see, he has the ability to destroy brains from the inside. It's triggered by raw emotion of course, so be sure not to tell him to clean his room too much. Haha anyway… I'm sure there are Ability Specialists in Rose, so we'll just have to see. _

_-Naruto :D_

I put the note beside my bed and took my shirt off before I flopped on the bed. The bright lamp beside my bed distracted my resting process so I turned it off as well. Now, I was in the dark, my alertness finding it's way back to me. This always happened. _Just _when I got to settle down , I became alert all over again. I groaned and rolled over. Maybe if I…

"Sasuke?" I looked up at the quiet voice and found Sakura, doing something similar to the weird finger-thing Hinata used to do. She wore a simple nightgown and her pink hair stood up in some places. It made her look vulnerable.

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if…well I couldn't sleep and…" I smirked at her and patted the side of my bed.

"Sure. I couldn't sleep either." Sakura muttered _'thanks'_ and climbed in next to me. When she was situated, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer to me. She put her hands against my chest and sighed loudly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I've been a little impossible lately."

"Don't be sorry, I understand."

Sakura kissed my lips lightly. "Thank you." There was a long silence and I guessed Sakura was asleep. I opened my eyes and looked down at her. Her white slip and peaceful, sleeping face made her look like an angel. I was lucky to have her.

Sleep for me lasted about fifteen minutes because of the tug I felt on my pants leg. I opened my eyes and looked down at the small, groggy face of Avi. He wore his same Spiderman pajamas and held a baby blue cotton blanket in his small hands. I managed a small smile at him before he jumped in the bed between Sakura and I. He threw the blanket over himself and snuggled deeply in the giant pillow of mine. I pulled the both of them close and wrapped my arms around them. With a sigh, I whispered,

"I'll protect you both."

**:**

Avi is not a morning person. Sakura and I awoke around four in the morning to pack, and left Avi in my bed to sleep a little longer. Sakura packed his things and hers, and when all the preparations were made, she went back to him to get him dressed and groomed. Things just didn't work out that way. Avi was dead weight when Sakura tried to lug him out of bed and eventually the whining and ignoring got to her.

'_It's your turn.' _She had told me cockily with a smile on her face. Sakura was still a little wary about Orochimaru, but managed to lighten up a _little _overnight.

'_Are you suggesting I can't wake him up?' _I asked. Sakura shrugged and raised an eyebrow.

'_Hm, maybe. Unless you _can _get him up.' _ I sighed and went over to Avi, bending down so I was whispering in his ear and said,

'_Avi, the sooner you get up, the sooner we can go to _McDonald's _for breakfast.' _I'd counted down three seconds before Avi shot up and ran to his room.

'_Mommy hurry up we gotta go!' _ Sakura glared playfully and went after Avi. Even now, as we sat on the underground train, our stomachs full of McDonald's, Avi was leaning against my shoulder half-asleep.

"Is this all he does, eat and sleep?" I asked Sakura quietly.

She nodded. "Yeah, that's about it."

"We have four hours until Rose, so you can rest too."Sakura's eyes a were a tad bit lazier, and the bags under her eyes more prominent than usual. My eyes flicked over to Naruto who snored quietly with his mouth wide open. I reached into the McDonald's bag and tossed a burnt fry in Naruto's direction, aiming right for his mouth. He gagged and straightened up, spitting out the fry.

"Bastard!" Naruto glared and turned away, propping his head on his hand.

Sakura giggled and looked back at me. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I have things to do anyways."

"Oh…okay. Well can you hand me Avi?" I gently picked Avi up—watching his eyebrows knit together—and handed him to Sakura. She propped him in her lap and closed her eyes. When I was sure Sakura was asleep as well, I quietly moved out of my seat and went to the car next to ours, receiving glares and suspecting looks from passengers. I walked quickly to the back of the car and cleared my throat. The woman stood expectantly and threw her arms around me.

"Oh, Sasuke, I'm so glad you're here." I could see a pair of black eyes looking back at me from behind the red-headed woman.

"I wish we could see each other at better times."

"Yes, yes I agree. Mai, Mai sweetie say hello to Sasuke." The small girl behind the woman stepped forward and waved slightly. She'd gotten about a foot taller, and she had the appearance of a ten-year old.

"H-Hi Uncle Sasuke." I picked Mai up and she giggled.

"How are you Mai?"

"I'm starting fourth grade soon."

"Really?" she nodded quickly and grinned.

I turned to the woman and smiled at her. "Alesa, Mai, I have some people you need to meet."

**WOW…nothing much to say that wasn't said except**

**RRRREEEVVIIIEEEWWW!!!!!...please?**

**-Jazz Out!:D3**


	28. Strength

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 27**

**Okay you guys! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I meant to do this last chapter but I (**_**forgot) **_**didn't so I'll do it now. Thank you to my first 1000 reviewers! Instead of killing myself trying to type down every single reviewer, I'm just going to copy-paste all the reviewers who favored it. It took a while to do this (yeah I'm stupid) so TRY to find your name. or if you're lazy like me, you can push the good ole **_Ctrl+F _**button and type your name in. Oh and a special thanks to **Abriel **for being my 1****st**** reviewer. Thank you to:**

**'Light Shining-Angel' -13issues- .Hime-SaMa'sLynx. 3.31.09 9tailedemonfoxonbu a shy witch adroit-daydreamer Akasuna no Akane akatsuki41066 AloneAtLast95 amanda-hazel-eyes amba-1 Angel of Darkness121 AngelReira23 Animeandmonkeylover animefaves Animelovefest725 animepuppy101 AnxiousA Appearence Decieved ApplelovesApples Ashleysays Aya-Sama3000 ayame81131 Azerel of Darkness Azure Serenity babe201 babobear barrelchaser101 bebelurvsbishiess bEhindThyCrimsonEyes BilliamTheKid black and beautiful black heart01 Black-Blue Moonlight Neko BlackIceVampireLove Blast Bloom-san BlossomSage blossomstar16 Blue Blood4686 BLunatic BrokenAngel363 BurningDecks ByakuganLove C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only cacahuate96 Call Me Spiffy CallXMeXLight Cammycutie candyluver Capricorn21 Cardboard Cassie821 Cate Goust Chellethatwizz Chelzymae15 CHERRY BLOSSOM SWEETHEART Cherry Lollipop and Skittles Cherry Uchiha Cherry-Blossems Cherry-chan and Ra-chan Cherry-chan14 cherryblossom001 cherryblossomsakura1291 Chibi Bee-Chan Chibichump chibza Chihori-chan Chinookchick Chloefish Chocolatgurlo classy-prettygurl09 clover1987 comeintherain coolerninjathanu COULK crazymel2008 CrImSoN-AnGeL666 CrimsonCheif ctrl aika CuriouslyDevious Cute-as-a- pie cutiezam24 daiyanohana Danely Daniellle Dark blood deamon Dark Huntress Darkness Eternity darkpetal202 darktwilight10 darkwitch101 deathfanatic deedee2034 Destiney and Kylee DigiLoveReader disgrace-angel369 dominiqueanne don't really know Dorky Dippinfanny 's here dragonscale455 Dreams of the future Drgn Dudedudeguy easily1994addicted EatHotBoy Elune6101 Em-i-lo em0anime Ember Love Emeraldmyst emodeathbyanime EmoSakura95 Enjoy The Show epic bunneh-sama Eternal Blue-Moon Vixen Eternalsmiles EtherionGirl etsu of the sand EvilSakurarules eye rule u don't faLLen-anGel-19-SasuSaku FanpireForever fantasy.l0ve Faylinn Starr FiiinaBeeea Firearcathian firebird1369 flamendwaterislochnessmonster flaming witch of fire Florida Alicat Foxres fullmetalnin fumiko-chan fuyukoigokoro Fyreyce Gaaraslover30240 Gaarasracoon GaGaprincess gianna loves SasuSaku Gothic Saku-chan gotta-love-EMMETT greedy Happy-Tori-16 harajuku7 Haruka Kohaku hazelhorth0706 HellButterfly-hime HengHeng Hikaru Takahashi Hiyono-Narumi hollow heart of mine htskskcp hurting I love to review i-luv-sesshy-23 iazngirl7 ICantRemberSodAll ice bitten ichthusandyoh IMaCHERRYBlossom Insparation Gurl irony-on-high itasaku12345 itasakusasusakugirl IzWinchesterDevil izzybell117 J.O.L the 1 Jaazie Jadaback JadeOnyxComet JitterBugx Jjayanddjjae joannakur k-lo1120 Kaamen Kage no Kyuubi no Kitsune Kagome knows all Kaisumi23 kajikaXli-ren Kanryu kataang2 Katani Uchiha-Black keiko-uchiha KellzXCherryX Kiira the 2****nd**** KiKi-chan127131 KiNkY T0 dehr MaX KinkyAnimeGirl Kitteymeowmeo klala kLuTzY-sAkI-hArUnO kodak95 Kpop Princess Mei Krapi kunoichikeiko13 KyokoSakuraba lacusclien4 Lady Asako Lady Tsunami LadyShirahime93 LadyUchiha-kun LaLa916 LamontSakuraYuuki Lase Latynosa Lena Garcia Uchiha Lex The Vampires Saviour. 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_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 27**

"Someone…for me to meet." Alesa's tone was flat, and emotion dropped from her face. It was obviously not the reaction I expected, but I managed a small nod before I sat beside her. Mai looked at Alesa and sighed quietly.

"Who is this 'someone'? I told you Sasuke, I don't like people who want to meet me who I don't know. There's the matter of publicity and Mai's safety…"

A smirk crept up to my lips. "No, Alesa it's not like that. The girl-woman- I want you to meet—"

Alesa's eyebrows raised. "Woman."

"Woman."

"I didn't know you were old enough to have a…woman," she cleared her throat. "Sorry, continue."

"Her name is Sakura Haruno. She was a very close friend of Itachi's before he died, and she's here to meet you."

"Sakura Haruno you say." Her eyes were downcast for several minutes before she looked back up, that serious look of hers returning. "When you say 'close friends' do you mean she was his lover?"

"No, they weren't lovers, but they shared equal affections." I stated honestly. It was still hard for me to grasp the fact that the two people closest to me had affection towards one another, but even harder to cope with the loss of the other. After the Soul Transfer Jutsu failed weeks after Sakura diesappeared, I had a limited amount of time to see my brother before he was truly gone. What I saw was a ghost-like image of my brother when he materialized in front of me from my body. He couldn't speak, but smiled before he nodded and vanished.

"Okay." She finally said. "How is she acquainted with you? Is she _your _lover?"

"Yes. She is my fiancé and the bearer of my son." I smiled slightly.

Alesa gasped and sat up straight, Mai shifting quietly in her lap. "Sasuke, when did this happen? You never told me about this girl! And y-your son? Wh— Itachi told me once that you practically resented females, and that he honestly believed you were—"

"Gay, yes. I've been told this so many times. Kakashi Hatake adopted Sakura after the Council ordered Itachi to kill her parents. She was born a half-vampire, you know. The first in centuries. I must admit, I resented Sakura at first. She was quiet and nicer compared to the other females I was surrounded by. She was a victim of many Rogue attacks, and every time I protected her…she grew closer to me. We became closer almost immediately after the complications were over, and I fell in love with her. Foolishly, but I did."

"What were the complications?" Alesa asked with interest glowing in her brown eyes. Mai turned away, bored and played with her handheld game, obviously not knowing what was going on.

"I was her guardian," Alesa's mouth formed in the shape of an 'o', and I nodded. "Yes, that's why it was foolish, for me to love her. I tried to ignore those feelings, the typical reaction, but it was hard to resist her the way she presented herself."

Alesa grimaced. "How did she present herself? Not as one of _'those girls' _I hope."

"No, she was far from one of those girls. She carried herself as a woman, kind-hearted, beautiful and with a heart made of gold I could never deserve."

Alesa watched me intently for a moment before smiling and laughing quietly.

"What?" I asked. Mai opened one eye.

"This girl-_woman -_must've had some influence over you Sasuke. You speak of her as if…she's royalty, like a queen. It is very out of character for you."

"I can hardly imagine being away from her. We've been through a lot, and I would never give that up."

"How did she fall in love with you?"I raised an eyebrow. "Not as an insult, just curious."

"…in the beginning, Sakura hated me. I think…I think we hated each other, but it took a lot to convince her that I loved her. She had a hard time trusting me back then, so I had to prove it. I made my love more and more clearer to her, and I guess it was impossible to deny she felt the same about me as I did for her."

" _A heart made of gold…_ such words." Alesa stood and took Mai by the hand. "Well Sasuke, I would love to meet her. Tell me about your son though. What's his name?"

"His name is Avi. Avi Uchiha. He's five years old, his birthday was yesterday. He's small in stature, but very strong in ability. He's protective of Sakura and I, and has that same annoying stubbornness his mother has."

"If you ask me, he sound like you. I take it he's hot-headed, impulsive and somewhat mature, right?"

I was silent, but shrugged in response. "I guess."

"They're here, right? Let's go Mai."

I stood as well and led the two females through the train and to the very back. I could spot Sakura leaning over the condiments table, picking through fruit. Avi was on the tip of his toes to see what she was picking for him.

"Mommy, can I have the chips? Please…?"

"No, take the apple, it's healthier. You can't _always _have the Doritos. " Avi sighed loudly and dramatically and disdainfully took the apple.

Alesa nudged my arm and smiled before I spoke.

"Sakura, Avi." The both turned around and looked between the three of us. Avi stared at Mai, and Sakura glanced between Alesa and I before she settled on the red-headed woman. "This is Mai and Alesa Uchiha, Itachi's wife and daughter." Sakura gasped quietly before giving a light bow in front of Alesa.

"I have heard a lot about you Ms. Alesa. It's an honor." Alesa touched Sakura's chin, pushing her head upwards so they were eye-to-eye. "There's no need to bow Sakura. I am just as honored to meet you as you are to me." They stared before Sakura slowly wrapped her arms around Alesa.

"It would seem Sasuke here really cares about you, but I'm sure you know that." Alesa grinned widely and crouched down. "And _you_ must be Avi. Oh, you look just like your father. But you have your mother's eyes." Avi smiled slightly and nodded.

"Were you Ita-san's wife?"

Alesa smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes I was."

"Mommy told me stories about Ita-san. He was strong and cool and like my daddy, but I don't think he was cooler than daddy because daddy is _super _cool. And I really like the story about when Ita-san fought. He sounded like a super-hero or somethin' cuz he made all of those…uh…"

"Rogues?"

"Yeah! He made those things ,like, die _and _he made it seem easy. One day I wanna be like Ita-san…er… and my daddy too of course." Alesa laughed and pushed Mai from behind her.

"Avi, honey, this is Mai, your cousin."

Mai stared at Avi before she waved and said, "I'm Mai."

"I'm Avi. Can I see your game?" Mai handed Avi the small game and began showing him how to play it. They sat in two empty seats and talked amongst themselves.

"Sakura, you are so beautiful. No wonder Sasuke loves you so me…" It wasn't long before Alesa and Sakura were engrossed in their own conversation, and when I was sure I could leave without being noticed, I snuck out the back of the train and hovered over the rails. With my hands folded, I closed my eyes and began thinking of strategies. Orochimaru would surely be heavily guarded, but with the lack of experience from most of his army, he was left somewhat vulnerable. Orochimaru, along with Tsunade and Jiraiya were Legendary Sanin, ones who were highly skilled and known as the strongest in their area. There was no doubt in my mind Jiraiya and Tsunade were on our team, but it was a matter of the middle-class vampires. We were clearly outnumbered by Orochimaru's army, so any help-even from the middle-class- would assure victory.

The underground coven was a safe-haven for bystanders such as Avi, Mai and Sakura. The caretakers would protect them without a doubt and make sure they were not harmed by any means. I knew Sakura wanted to fight alongside me, but I couldn't risk losing her or us both. If Sakura died, there would be no one as strong as I was to aid in the war to take my place because I had to care for Avi. If we both died, Avi would be alone. I'd much rather have Sakura in a safe environment helping the injured than dead in the line of battle.

The only other people I could definitely trust with Avi was Alesa and Naruto, but I couldn't imagine Avi growing up to be a loud, obnoxious, idiot. Those three words would never fit in the Uchiha category. Despite that, Naruto was at the top of my list if something were to happen to Sakura and me…

Where was the dobe?

I peered back inside and glanced around the train, not spotting the blonde. "Naruto, I know you hear me."

"I never said I didn't." he answered almost immediately. Jumping down from the top of the train, his hair tousled and wind-blown, he grinned.

"What were you doing up there?"

"Getting a good view of things."

"And you couldn't look out the window?"

"Windows are for squares. I'm one big circle, baby."

I rolled my eyes, but smirked nonetheless. "Go inside, Alesa is there." If Naruto's ears were visible, they would've perked up. "Yes, she is, and can you tell Sakura to come and see me?"

"Yes sir." Naruto left and Sakura arrived shortly after. The wind immediately blew her medium-length, pink hair in her face, her hand flawlessly brushing the strands away.

"You wanted to see me?" her voice whistled through the wind and traveled to my ears. I sighed and pulled her into a deep kiss. For the first time in almost five years, my stomach churned and flipped when I did. Sakura's arms wrapped around my neck, and her hands played with my hair.

"Sasuke…" she whispered against my lips.

"What?"

"Is everything alright?" she looked up and brushed a stray hair from my face.

"Not yet, but it will be soon." I reached in my back pocket and handed her the velvet box I'd been holding for days now. "I never found the right time to give this to you…"

Sakura took the box and slowly opened it. If I had a camera to capture the look of surprise and happiness on her face, I would have.

"Wow…" she whispered breathlessly. "It's…" In the center of the ring was a small princess-cut diamond with two smaller princess-cut emeralds. On either side of the emeralds were even smaller diamonds, that matched the color of the shiny band. The ring was easily 2.8 carats, but I knew she was worth every last penny I spent on it. Sakura's eyes became glassy as she fingered the ring.

"Turn it over." I whispered. Sakura obeyed and said aloud:

"To my eternal partner, I will forever be yours." Sakura threw her arms around me and kissed me again before she smiled. "It's beautiful Sasuke. Just…amazing."

"I wanted the emeralds to match your eyes but—"

"Shh. It's perfect. I wouldn't change a thing." I took the ring and slipped in on her left ring finger, watching with a smirk as she twisted her hand and wiggled her fingers, the sunlight reflecting off the diamonds. We enjoyed the silence of each other's company as the landscape flew by us.

"Sasuke?"

"Yes?"

"Are we… is…" I turned to her, frowning when I saw her distressed expression.

"What is it?"

"I know I've never actually been in battle, and I don't know much about our enemies, but Orochimaru…how strong is he?"

I actually hesitated in responding to Sakura, but I knew the pause was enough to answer her question without my response.

"Oro is strong. Very strong. But strength without strategy is nothing." I leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Don't forget that."

"I won't." Sakura gripped my hands and looked into my eyes with such sincerity that it made me want to wrap her up and kiss her over and over once again. "I believe in you." Abruptly, the train stopped and twisting of the back door knob caught my attention.

"Sasuke, Sakura." Naruto stuck his head through the door and gave a curt nod. "It's time."

**Wow, it's been a while, huh? I hope you enjoyed chapter two-seven and you found your name if you actually cared. Oh and happy belated Easter! I never seem to celebrate holidays on time. Anyways, you know the drill. I 'll update ASAP since my Spring Break vacation is already over ( meaning I'll have nothing to do ) . Love all of you guys!**

**--Jazz Out**


	29. To Never Let You Go

**Ok wow, it's been like **_**more **_**than a month. Summer is officially here so **_**fuck yea**_** Jazz is back :D**

**ENJOY**

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 28**

Rose is divided in two Quarters. The training grounds are in Quarter One, where all the fighting vampires and medics prepared. That was where Naruto, Kakashi and the others would be, along with me of course. Alesa, Mai, Sakura and Avi would be in Quarter Two where the daycares, watch-rooms and protection would be. I was 95 percent sure Sakura would try to sneak away from Quarter Two to either be with me, or try to fight, but I anticipated that so I prepared beforehand. I made arrangements with Alesa and Anko, the medical advisor, to keep a close eye on Sakura, and make sure she didn't do anything rash.

'_As long as she doesn't make me work too hard, then yes.' Anko replied with a skewer in her mouth._

'_Honestly Anko-san, I don't know. Sakura is quite unpredictable. If it isn't too much trouble, can you train her in the medical field? If there's time, I would like her to work with you on the field, but for medical reasons only. Sakura has experience in the medical field and if I'm not mistaken, Tsunade will transfer over to Quarter Two as well.'_

'_Hmph, you've done your homework. I guess I can handle it.'_

'_Thank you,' I bowed. 'Anko-san.'_

Today was May 15th and the second week we'd been at Rose. The date of departure for all medics and fighters was set for tomorrow, meaning this was the last night I would see Sakura and Avi for a while. Shikamaru, Sai and Neji planned to arrive later tonight and the girls would be with Sakura and Avi in Quarter Two. Luckily, everything was going according to plan.

I was on my way to Quarter Two when I ran into Sakura. She had a clear container in her hand with a sticky note that said, 'Kids'.

"Hey, baby." Sakura smiled and threw her free arm around me. "Anko-san is letting me help with the medical program, isn't that great?"

"It's perfect for you." I kissed her forehead. "Where's Avi?"

"Sleeping in daycare. They sent me to the kitchen to get some snacks for the kids. Were you coming my way?"

"I wanted to take you out to dinner." I smirked when Sakura beamed. I was glad the worried frowns were leaving her face. I loved seeing her as happy as she was now.

"Dinner?"

"Yes, dinner. We can bring Avi if you don't want him…"

"No, he'll be fine. He's really tired and could use the sleep. Um… I'm gonna finish this and head back to my room to get ready," she kissed me softly; her free hand caressed my cheek. "Love you."

"I love you too. Can you meet me at the train around 8?"

"Sure." She turned to leave and I grabbed her wrist to spin her back around. The container fell from her hand as she pressed against my chest. "Sas…"

"I didn't plan to come back here until tomorrow morning…if you know what I mean. " I whispered against her ear.

Sakura giggled and ran a hand through my hair. "Then I guess I'll have to get a babysitter for Avi, hm?"

"I guess so." We shared a long kiss, and it was one of those kisses where my stomach twisted when we pulled away. I bent down and picked up the container, gently placing it in her small hands. "Go finish, I'll see you soon."

"Goodbye Sasuke." When she turned around the corner, I backed against the wall and slid down with my head in my hands.

'_Goodbye Sasuke.'_

I knew she didn't mean it the way I took it, but those were still words I dreaded to hear. _Goodbye_. I sighed. I never wanted to say goodbye to her.

**:**

I was happy. Happier than a kid in the candy store even. I was preparing to go through the biggest change in my life with Sasuke and Avi and the fight, but I couldn't help but be happy. Was it abnormal? No. Things were going according to plan, we were safe, and we had love. Nothing could go wrong.

As I passed the wooden column separating the garden from Quarter Two, I knocked on it for good luck. I made my way back to the daycare room and found Avi still silently asleep.

"Sakura , over here." Alesa motioned for me to come to the back of the room to place the snacks in the provided cubbies. "Are you going out with Sasuke tonight?" Alesa asked with a grin.

"Yes. I hate to ask but do you mind watching Avi till the morning? I don't know who else to ask."

"Of course I don't mind. Avi's a sweetie."

"Oh thank you so much Alesa. You're a life saver." I gave her a short hug and went over to Avi's cot to place a kiss on his forehead.

"Love you little one." I turned to leave and practically sprinted down the hall to my room.

"Good afternoon Sakura."

I stopped and bowed to Anko who was smirking at me. "G-Good afternoon Anko-san. Did you need anything?"

"No you can go. Wouldn't wanna keep Sasuke waiting would you?"

"No ma'am. I'll see you later." When Anko was out of my line of sight, I took off for my room again, but this time I resulted to flitting. While flitting, I made it to my room in about three seconds and was able to avoid other people.

When I made it back to my room, I showered and did my hair. I knew Sasuke liked it when it was curly, so I tied my hair back in an elegant, messy bun while several shorter strands of my hair fell freely. Yes, he would like this. He told me I didn't need makeup, so I put a little powder on and hustled to my closet. The day after we arrived at Rose, Sasuke left early that morning and returned with a countless amount of clothes for Avi and I. Avi didn't really care, but did freak a little at the Spiderman shirts Sasuke made sure to get. My closet was full of clothes and I had to forcibly push the clothes back to get to my dresses. My plan for tonight was to please Sasuke, so I pulled out the dress of his favorite color.

The black dress was halter and slim-fitting. The back was sewn so the straps met in an intricate crosshatch patters. It stopped a little after my butt and matched perfectly with the black heels he'd bought me. I smiled when I realized how easy it was to put on (and how easy it would be for him to take off later). There was a knock on my door just as I finished slipping the dress over my head. I straightened my dress out.

"Just a second." I glanced in the mirror and nodded in approval. I looked good. I opened the door as I glanced down at my heels. Maybe black heels were too boring—

"SAKURAAA!" My head shot up at the blue-eyed, blonde-haired blonde woman who stood in front of me. My jaw dropped as I became at a loss of words.

"I-Ino?" Ino threw her arms around me and squeezed so hard, I thought I would break in two. I squeezed back just as hard.

"Oh it's been so long! And you look so beautiful!" she looked at me, then hugged me tightly again.

"What're you…" my vision blurred with tears, and I broke down when I saw Ino already crying.

"Sai, Shikamaru and the others just got here."

"A-And Tenten and Hinata? Temari?"

"They should be here soon. Oh my god, Sakura, it's been so long! _Too _long!" I giggled and nodded.

"And we didn't end our relationship on good terms." I whispered when I remembered the argument we got in over Sasuke and Alesa.

"But it's all behind us. We can start this over again—Tenten! Temari, Hinata over here!"

My head snapped to the direction of the three girls standing mere feet away from me. Hinata saw me first, and she ran. I met her halfway, throwing my arms around her. Tenten and Temari followed suit and wrapped their arms around the two of us.

"Oh, Sakura, I thought we'd never see you again!"

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked the four of them.

"The boys brought us here. We thought it would be good to help in the medical program while this war crap was going on." Tenten smiled.

"That and they're one of you now." Hinata motioned to the other three girls.

"Huh?" I asked, my eyes drifting between the four. "You mean…" Temari grinned broadly, showing the small set of fangs. Tenten and Ino did the same.

"When did this happen?"

"About two years ago. We figured if we were ever going to get you and Sasuke back, we would have to know what you were coming from. It's only fair,"

"You guys are the best." I laughed. Hinata suddenly jumped.

"Avi." She grinned.

"He's in the daycare. I'll tell Alesa to bring him."

"Alesa?"

"Itachi's ex. The one you guys saw in that picture with Sasuke. It was a picture of Alesa and her daughter." Ino's mouth formed the shape of an 'o' and I nodded, sending a message to Alesa to bring Avi to my room. When the two arrived moments later, my four friends greeted Alesa and fawned over Avi.

"I'm Hinata." Hinata said.

"Uncle Naruto's wife?"

"Yes, his wife."

"Ohh. Uncle Naruto said he liked you, and that you were really pretty. Uncle Naruto said a lot about you Hinata-san." And Avi rambled on and on with the girls, instantly getting to know the four.

"Sakura, he looks just like you in the face." Tenten giggled.

"I guess he does, huh?"

"Ah, Sakura, it's 8:15." Alesa nudged my shoulder.

"Already?"

"Weren't you supposed to meet Sasuke at eight…"

"Sasuke…Sasuke! Oh shit—shoot. Girls I gotta go!" I shot back in my room and sprayed myself with perfume before I grabbed my purse and hurried away. See you later! Avi stay out of the sweets! Ino, take him to meet the boys!" I shouted back as I scrambled away. I couldn't flit to the train since I didn't want to rip my dress, so I ran. Sasuke waited casually next to the train, a smirk already on his face.

"I'm sorry I'm late! Ino and Hinata and the others showed up and I lost—"Sasuke held a finger to his lips.

"Don't worry about it. I knew you'd get distracted so I called you about thirty minutes early. I knew you'd rush right about now and get here about 15 minutes before the train showed."

I narrowed my eyes and playfully smacked his shoulder. "You smartass. What was the other fifteen minutes supposed to be used for, hm?"

Sasuke caressed both sides of my cheeks and whispered in my ear. "To tell you repeatedly how beautiful you look, and to do this," he gently kissed my lips and chuckled slightly against them.

"W-What's so funny? I was enjoying that." I mumbled. His laugh was smooth.

"Nothing, nothing."

"Sasuke Uchiha…"

He rolled his eyes at my motherly tone. "Ok fine. I was thinking about the old days, where it was so easy to trick you. Some good times, some bad. But that's why I love you. You never change."

"Yeah well…" I bit my lip. "Well you're still an Ice Queen."

"Ice Queen?"

"Yes, as in the Queen of Ice. But I will admit you have thawed a little bit." I giggled. Sasuke raised his eyebrows, and I laughed a little harder.

"A little?"

"Mm-hm, but if it means anything to you, I still love you." He smiled one of his rare smiles.

"It means everything to me, more than you will ever know."

**:**

As Sakura and I lay in bed that night, we began to ask each other personal questions that were never asked. Some were petty, some serious, but it didn't matter when we were together.

"How many times have you had sex before me?"

"Once with Ami." We both cringed at the name. "Did you ever see yourself with me before we got together?"

"No. I honestly hated you, Sasuke. You were like, Ice Queen x's 5 back then." I smirked when her eyes widened in disbelief. "I couldn't believe someone could be such an asshole. But did you see yourself with me?"

"Nope. You weren't interesting enough." Sakura rolled her eyes and turned away from me in the bed. "_But _then I realized that that was what made me love you. Because you were different." I wrapped my hand around her waist and pulled her to me as I placed little kisses on her neck.

"Mm-hm, nice save smooth operator." She giggled quietly.

"_**Sakuraaaa…**_" I groaned playfully. She turned and looked at me surprisingly.

"Are you… feeling playful?"

"Mmm…" I buried my face in her soft pink hair as Sakura muttered to herself, 'Sasuke Uchiha, playful. Who would've known?' "Sakura, it's only 11."

"So?"

"So let's do it again." I said honestly. I looked at her seriously, but she only brushed me off again.

"I'm tired."

"You're a vampire. You don't get tired."

"…"

"…" We were silent for a while, and I honestly believed she fell asleep. But I was content, breathing in the sweet scent of her strawberry shampoo.

"Sakura, I have to leave tomorrow."

"I know." She whispered back.

"And there's no guarantee I'll be back. The first mission lasts about two months." I could hear Sakura catch her breath.

"I-I know…"

I turned her over, and my stomach dropped a little when I saw the tears gathering in her eyes. "Don't worry about it Sakura. All we have to do is take out the first wave, no problem. There are at least five waves until we actually take out Orochimaru." Sakura shuddered at the name.

"I trust in you and Naruto and the others… I just don't know what I would do if you got hurt…or worse." I cupped Sakura's cheek, gently wiping the tears away.

"Do you want to hear my most pathetic story? I haven't told anyone this."

Sakura nodded and sat up a little. "Y-Yeah."

"When I was a kid, ages ago, my mother took me to a Heritage Festival. It was just a festival to mark the anniversary of history's oldest vampires. Well I was playing one of the festival games and when I turned around; I couldn't find my mother at all. I ran around that stupid place for an hour, crying and sniffling and tripping over my feet until I found her."

"Where was she?"

"At the snack table. She came back to get me when I was already gone. When I found her, I ran into her arms and cried and told her to never leave me again. And she said ,'_Don't worry Sasuke, I'll never leave you. I love you too much to ever let you go.' _Sakura, my biggest fear is losing you and Avi. There's no Sasuke Uchiha without Sakura and Avi Uchiha." She grinned when I gave her my last name. "So Sakura, don't worry. I'll never leave you, and I love you too much to ever, _ever _let you go."

_That was a promise._

**Aaw guys…what's SasuXSaku without fluff? Tomorrow is the last day of school! (I survived freshmen year :D) I hope you like this guys. You know the drill. Hit that review button like a ho. Haha.**

**-Jazz Out :D**


	30. Chapter 30

**Yep this story is going and going…I don't think it will EVER end since I don't really have one planned. So yeah! This is **most likely **the last chapter that's gonna be in Sasuke's POV. **_ Maybe. _**I'm not really sure…This chapter is dedicated to **aquagirl1244 **who gave me the longest, favorite…est review for the last chapter. **I didn't really get reviews for the last chapter, what's up? **Anywho, here ya go and enjoy!**

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 29**

I stayed with Sakura that night, but I had to leave a little earlier in the morning so I could see Avi. I debated on whether to wake Sakura, but I decided I would. I knew she would want to say goodbye at least one more time. Sakura and I rode the train silently to Rose. Sakura was upset, even after I reassured her the night before, but could I blame her? Without words, I placed my hand on top of hers and she looked at me with hopeful emerald eyes. She nodded, I nodded, and everything was okay.

When we arrived at the daycare, Avi was happily playing with Sakura's friends, as well as Neji, Sai, Shikamaru. I frowned slightly at Hinata's frowning face, but I shrugged it off when I figured she was just upset about the parting.

"Daddy!" Avi shot up and ran into my arms. I smiled. "I thought you had to leave today!" Out the corner of my eye, I saw Sakura leave my side and saunter over to Neji. She hugged him first, then the others.

"I wanted to say goodbye to you." I said with a smirk. Avi's big eyes narrowed a little and he looked away.

"Goodbye… do ya mean you aren't…you aren't coming back?" Avi's voice cracked and his eyes filled with tears.

"No, no, no Avi. I…I will be coming back, I promise. Don't forget how strong your Daddy is."

His eyes suddenly lit up again. "Of _course _I won't forget. My Daddy is the best! No one can beat you, you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because you're the best!" Avi hugged my middle tightly with a giggle. "I love you Daddy."

I kissed Avi's forehead. "I love you too." Moments later, Kakashi walked through the Daycare doorway and nodded to me.

"It's time to go." I sighed and walked Avi back to the group of girls, who looked at me, then Avi, then Kakashi. The tension in the room was uncomfortable, and I tried to lift the weight by smiling. As the other girls hugged and kissed their goodbyes, Sakura threw her arms around me and squeezed so tight, I thought I would break.

"I love you." She whispered.

"Remember what I told you, " I whispered so only she could hear. "I _will _be back here in exactly two months so don't you worry about me. I love you." And then I kissed her. I kissed her so hard, I knew she felt the pain I was feeling. I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to _ever _leave. Sakura kissed back just as desperately, knowing that, no matter how many reassurances there were, it was still a goodbye. I heard Avi sniffling beneath me and I pulled away from Sakura. He was crying, trying his best to cover up his tears with the back of his hand. When he dropped his hand, it was a pitiful sight. Uncontrollable tears flowing from his eyes and snot from his nose.

"I-I'm g-g-gonna miss you D-Daddy." He sobbed. I reached down and ruffled his hair, instantly calming him.

"I'll be back before you even know I'm gone."

"O-Okay, buh-but when you get back," he sniffed. "I'm gonna beat you in Modern Warfare. I have plenty of time to practice now, Uchiha. Bring it on." I couldn't help but smile down at the boy.

"You got it." I stalked to the door alongside Sai and gave a half-assed wave to the group as I turned the corner. When i was alone with the group in route to the train, I let out a heavy sigh.

"Chill Uchiha." Shikamaru patted my back.

"Yeah," I muttered. "Where's the dobe?" I asked, noticing he wasn't in the Daycare. Shikamaru looked at Neji, who looked at Sai, who looked at Kakashi.

"He actually left early."

"Early?" my brows furrowed. "Come to think of it, Hinata _was _a little more upset back there. Did something happen?"

"Hinata and Naruto got in an argument." Kakashi muttered. I rolled my eyes. The idiot knew an argument was the last thing that had to happen on Parting Day.

"Can I ask what about?"

Kakashi sighed again, _clearly _uncomfortable. "Naruto wants to adopt." I turned quickly to face Kakashi in surprise.

"You're serious?" I asked. Naruto hardly seemed like the type to want to adopt a child, and especially deal with the responsibility of one. "Why was there an argument? Hinata likes kids, doesn't she?"

"She does," Kakashi cleared his throat. "but she doesn't want to bring a baby in our environment. She feels it's unsafe, and too risky for a child."

"That's understandable." I muttered. If Sakura's pregnancy could have been controlled, I wouldn't have brought Avi in this world. The risks were too extensive. But at the same time, depending on the strengths of the group, everything would be safe. That's how it was with our group. We were strong, exceptionally strong, and there was no doubt that children couldn't be handled. "What did Naruto say about that."

"Nothing much. He just went on boasting about how strong we were and that she was worrying too much. That didn't go over well with Hinata because she accused him of not caring enough."

Shikamaru whistled and raised his eyebrows. "Ouch."

_/Attention passengers for train 437, we will be accepting you now. Prepare to depart in fifteen minutes. I repeat, fifteen minutes./_

Kakashi stepped inside the train first, and we followed. As I walked down the aisles and worked my way to the back, I stole glances at the passengers, the fighters. Some were your typical fighting vampire, big, muscled and radiating chakra. Others were much unexpected, and obviously new to the field. I saw women, young and middle-aged, teenagers, immature and jittery and other nervous adults. There were at least fifteen trains full of fighting vampire, and I hoped that the train we got stuck in was the one with the amateurs. We needed a strong legion to win this.

I got the window seat and Shikamaru slid next to me.

"You think Naruto and Hinata will be okay?"

"Knowing the dobe, he'll realize that he screwed up and go running back to Hinata with a wagging tale."I muttered, rolling my eyes. Naruto was always like that, speaking before he thought and making rash decisions. It's just what made him Naruto Uzumaki, but hopefully Hinata understood that. I huffed and propped my head on my hands, watching the crowds of vampire flock to the train. Some were crying and waving, others smiling proudly and laughing with family. This eased my mind. As the train slowly and steadily began to move, I let my eyes scan through the crowd. My eyes found Hinata's and Ino's. They were smiling in our direction. Shikamaru waved. Neji and Sai did the same to Tenten and Ino. I looked a little harder, straining to see if she was there. She had to be there right? I sighed quietly. Sakura Haruno where the hell—

Hoisting a small child in her arms, a beautiful pink-haired woman smiled brightly at me. The boy in her arms waved frantically screaming 'Bye daddy, bye daddy.' I smirked and waved at the two, immediately feeling the butterflies in my stomach. Since when did I get butterflies? Sakura blew me a kiss and giggled, mouthing 'I love you.' I mouthed back, 'I love you too.' The train began picking up speed and before I knew it, the two were far behind.

:

There was 3,628,800,000 milliseconds, 3,628,800 seconds, 60,480 minutes, 1,008 hours and 42 days until Sasuke came back home. Dammit. I wasn't obsessing…okay maybe a little, but I missed Sasuke so much.

"Mommy!" Avi trotted in our room a huge smile on his face. He looked absolutely adorable wearing his Spiderman footie pajamas.

"Yes Avi…"

"Auntie Ino said we were gonna watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in the movie room. Do you wanna come?" his eyes were wide and hopeful.

"Uh, no, sorry Avi. I'm really tired."

He pouted. "Hmph fine. Oh can I have the candy Auntie Tenten has? Please, please, please?"

"No. You know what sugar does to you. You'll be up all night."

"Please, mommy? I've been good all week and Auntie Ino said that I was doing good too. And daddy said that if kids do good things, they get good stuff and candy is good stuff. Especially the peppermints. I love the peppermints and I think daddy does too. But can I have some candy? Just a little teeny weeny bit mommy please?" I figured that if I wasn't a vampire, I would've had NO idea what Avi just said. His intelligence level was increasing already, so he talked way faster than usual.

"Fine." I smiled at the little boy, shifting on my bed.

"Huh?"

"Tell Tenten that I said you can have the candy. But only three pieces." I warned. Alesa stuck her head through my door, her long red hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. She wore her daycare uniform, black slacks and a black shirt that read 'Rose'. "Geez Sakura, ease up," she teased and nodded towards Avi.

"Avi, sweetie, tell Ino that you can have five pieces. And hurry before your mother gets you." Avi gasped and shot out the room.

"Bye mommy!" I heard him shout just as he tapped away.

"Oh come on Alesa…"

"What?" she smiled mischievously. She plopped on the bed next to me and sighed happily. "You watching the movie?"

"Mm, no. I've seen Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs three times." I announced truthfully. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs was Avi's favorite movie, and he never ceased to drag me to watch it when it aired.

"Alright well…the little ones are waiting in the movie room. Feel free to stop by if you want." She smiled at me again, gestured a wave, and left. I rolled over on the bed so I was looking directly at the ceiling. Today was May 30th, so the letter I wrote for Sasuke would be arriving tomorrow. I wrote the usual: telling him that we were okay, that Avi did something to either get in trouble or earn himself a hug. I told him about the hospital and working with Anko, and finally, how much I was looking forward to his return. Sasuke told me of the brutal training and preparation they had to do. Apparently, Naruto was reduced to tears the training was so intense. He looked forward to seeing me as well and told me to tell Hinata that Naruto loves her.

Hinata explained to us what happened between the two of them. Naruto wanted a family, but Hinata refused, saying that she didn't want children in the unsafe environment we lived in. I could fully understand where Hinata was coming from. If I had a choice, I wouldn't have had Avi when I did. Our life was dangerous and unpredictable and not an ideal place for a child. At the same time, I knew where Naruto was coming from. We were a strong family and capable of handling practically any situation. If Naruto and Hinata adopted a child, he or she would be safe. "Sasuke, wherever you are, you better be safe."

:

"Oh my god…" I muttered desperately. I was bored. And by bored, I meant bored. I considered working at the Daycare or the Hospital, but I just wasn't feeling it today; my aura was totally off. Avi was at a play date with Mai and another little boy from the daycare, so unfortunately he wasn't there to bug me. I stood from my work desk and went to my bathroom. In the mirror, I saw a pale woman—more pale than usual—with black-brown bags under her eyes. Her pink hair was tangled and lifeless, her eyes bright, but not as bright as usual. Her pink eyebrows were untamed, her skin slightly dry and—even though it was seemingly impossible—she thought she was gaining weight. Inside, the woman was happy, ecstatic even, because she knew things were finally falling into place. But her looks were falling apart. Sasuke left a mere six weeks ago, meaning he would return in just two weeks. The girl in the mirror was sure Sasuke wouldn't want to do anything with her while she looked like this.

"Alright Sakura, it's time to get your act together." I said. I splashed some water on my face and sighed. When my face was dry, I pulled some tweezers from the cabinet and plucked my eyebrows. It was such a pain, but probably because I was so lazy. When my eyebrows were even and perfect, I rubbed moisturizer on my face and put a little make-up under my bags.

"Hm…a little better," I applauded myself. "Sakura, stop talking to yourself, it's not healthy." I skipped to my closet and pulled on my favorite blue jeans, the ones that hugged my thighs and butt perfectly but still gave me wiggle room. I wore my Daycare uniform shirt and black flip-flops before I left my room to go to Ino's. Temari, Tenten and Hinata were already there, planning the 'Welcome Back' party scheduled two weeks from now. As I rounded a corner, a nurse ran passed me, distress on her face. I reached out to her, trying to get her attention.

"Excuse me…is everything okay?"

"I gotta go—I just got called and—" she looked over her shoulder impatiently. "I gotta go." The girl who hurried away was young and restless, but I couldn't blame her. The hospital life was stressful. Ino's room wasn't too far from mine, so I reached it in no time. I could feel three other presences behind the door and as I raised my fist to knock, the door swung open.

"Hey Ino, where's the fi—" I stopped when I saw the expression on her face. The beeper in her hand was screaming and behind her, Hinata and Tenten were rustling and hurrying.

"Is everything alright Ino?" Her brows were furrowed and her left hand patted nervously at her side. "Ino?"

"Sakura…I just got called in from t-the hospital." Her fingers brushed through her bangs.

"Well? What's going on?" I shifted to Tenten. "Tenten, what's going on?"

"Services reported an ambush from the…from the camp they were staying at." Hinata whispered. I could see her eyes glistening with tears and suddenly, my stomach dropped.

"You mean…"

"We gotta go—" Tenten grasped my hand and dragged me along, Hinata and Ino following close behind.

"No, tell me! Which camp was ambushed? Dammit let me go…" I wrenched my hand from Tenten's strong grip forcefully.

"**Sakura!**" Tenten spun around and glared at me and when I saw the tears running down her face, I stopped. "Please just shut up. This isn't just about you, okay? Please."

"I'm sorry." I whispered. We swiftly and very quietly walked down to the hospital. There were other nurses hurrying with us, some just as frantic as we were. We turned into the hospital and I was immediately greeted with the smell of blood.

"Oh god…" Ino whispered.

"Anko-san…Anko!" I stopped Anko from going in the opposite direction, trying to ignore the blood on her uniform. "What's the report?"

"Ambush. Orochimaru snuck in one of our camps and attacked some of our men. Some injured, some dead."

"What's the fatality count?"

"Thirty-seven dead. Sixteen are critically injured."

I bit my lip. "Do you know if Sasuke…"

"I don't know Sakura, I've been so busy around here, I don't know what the hell is going on. Yamanaka, Subaku, Tenten, you're needed in 207. Haruno, Hyuuga, 324." Tenten, Ino and Temari hurried off and Hinata and I went our own direction.

"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay…" Hinata whispered under her breath. After praying to myself and letting my hand linger on the door knob, I pushed the door open. An even stronger scent of blood hit my nose first, then a piercing scream. On the bed closest to the door was Naruto, unconscious and seemingly okay. There were a few scratches and bruises along his face and chest, but otherwise, okay.

"Naruto…" Hinata scurried to his side, yelling at the doctors to inform her of his injuries. I sauntered over to the blue-turquoise curtain. Deep down inside, I knew what was waiting for me behind it, and I dreaded it so much. I found myself chanting the same words Hinata chanted moments before just as I dragged the curtain to the left.

Sasuke writhed and struggled against the chakra cuffs on his wrists and ankles. He was sweating profusely, something that should've been impossible for vampires. His face, neck and chest was coated in dried blood, and I didn't know if it was his or someone else's.

"Out! Get out!" I ordered at the confused nurses. "Wait, wait, wait," I stopped them. "which one of you put these cuffs on him?"

"S-Sorry Haruno-san. Yoshi-sama ordered me to—" a small, brown-haired woman stepped up.

"Take them off."

"I cannot—"

"_**Take them off now.**_"

Sasuke screamed and closed his eyes tightly when the nurse removed the cuffs on his ankles, then the ones on his wrists. The moment they were gone, Sasuke shot up and made way for the exit.

"Sasuke! S-Sasuke, you have to sit!" I pressed on his broad shoulders, attempting to calm him down. Sasuke's eyes snapped to mine, and he stopped. "It's me, Sakura." Sasuke allowed me to push him back on the hospital bed. "Baby, tell me what happened."

Sasuke's eyes were wide with the Sharingan, tears running down his pale face. He reached up and clawed at his neck before he screamed again. "Suh-Sakura… Sakura-aah!" Sasuke collapsed against the bed, and I caught him just before he fell to the floor.

"G-Get Anko, now." When the nurse left, I scanned Sasuke's body for injuries. Just like Naruto, he had scratches and bruises, but otherwise no serious wounds. I was at a loss. Why was he in so much pain? I felt the tears run down my face when his scream echoed through my head. As I shifted Sasuke's head I saw streaks of blood in a claw pattern. I grabbed gauze and wiped at the blood, gasping at what I saw.

On Sasuke's neck was a seal of some sort in the shape of three tomoe. It looked as if it was throbbing, the skin around it red. I looked at Sasuke's face, adorning furrowed brows and more sweat. Even unconscious, he was in pain.

"Sasuke, what happened to you?"

"It was Orochimaru." I jumped at Anko's voice, being I was unaware of her presence.

"Oro…Orochimaru?" I looked at Sasuke's neck then back at Anko.

"He has performed the Curse Seal." Anko examined Sasuke and kicked the wall nearest to her. "Shit! This is not good, not good."

"What's going to happen? Is he gonna be alright?"

"I don't know Sakura. Things aren't going to look good for him. The seal forcibly absorbs his chakra then returns an amount of chakra even Sasuke can't handle. If he makes it through this, he'll be strong physically, but mentally he might be strained."

"How do you know this? How do you know what's gonna happen to him?"

"Because," Anko reached for her collar and pulled her shirt down so her neck was exposed. "He's bitten me as well."

**Hey guys sorry for the late late update (that rhymed) but I just didn't have time to write. My mother found out I was 49 percent gay so I was like shutout from the world. OH AND IF TOWARDS THE END OF THE CHAPTER THINGS GET BORING, CHOPPY AND STOP MAKING SINCE, I'M SORRY. It's 2:38 in the morning and I'm EXHAUSTED. So yeah sorry about the cliffy too. I'm trying to get back to the Naruto groove and I thought I could do that by throwing in things that happened in the real series. OKAY. Thank you for the 1,101 reviews. You guys have no idea how much you all mean to me. 3**

**-Jazz Out**


	31. The Most Artistic of the Bunch

**Welcome everyone, old and new :D sigh… I am exhausted! I just got back from a **_**beautiful **_**wedding and it inspired me to get back to this story (because of Sasuke and Sakura). So, I'm back. Lately, the number of reviews for this story has been going down, sad I know. I know what some of you may be thinking "she has 1,109 so why the **_**hell **_**does she need more?" well that's because I LOVE reviews and just because I've read 1,109 reviews, doesn't mean I can't read another 1,000 :D haha ANYWAYS, back to the drama…**

***drum roll* **_**Tada**_

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 30**

The first thing I heard was the sound of Hinata's voice and the feel of her small hands pushing against my shoulders.

"Sakura! Sakura wake up." She practically yelled at me. Upon hearing her voice, I jolted awake with a gasp. "Oh, thank god."

In the room was Anko, Temari and Hinata, all adorning worried faces. "Sasuke, where's Sasuke? And the others?" I swung my feet over my bed, then paused. "How did I get here?"

" Temari and I were walking to your room to tell you that lunch was ready, but you didn't answer the door. But then I heard you talking and crying out to Sasuke."

I bit my lip, letting Hinata's words sink in. According to her, I'd never left my room, but the events that I…dreamt were so real. "So…" I stood up, my eyes drifting to the three women in front of me. "Are you telling me the ambush never happened?"

"What ambush?" Anko spoke up, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"I dreamt that there was an ambush in one of our camps. There were thirty-seven casualties and sixteen who were injured, Sasuke and Naruto being two of the injured." Hinata's eyes widened slightly. "I was examining Sasuke and I saw Orochimaru's cursed seal. Anko…the same one you have on your shoulder."

Anko's eyes narrowed. "I never showed anyone that seal, how do you know about it?"

"I…I don't know. My only guess is that I had a—"

"Premonition." Temari nodded in agreement. "Have you had any since the night you and Sasuke were attacked?"

"No…no not since then." I scratched my head. "But when I sleep, I see little…flashes of images. They come too fast and are never relevant to anything, so I just ignore them."

"How often? How often do these visions occur?" Anko asked quietly, still deep in thought. She rubbed her shoulder nervously and focused back on me.

"Not too often," I said. " At least one every two months, but like I said they are never relevant to anything. Anko…if my vision was right, then that means Orochimaru is going to attack the camp! What's today's date?"

"May 31st."

"In the vision, I think it was the 3rd of June. Anko are you hearing this? We have to send the information to warn them. At least they can…they can prepare themselves o-or flee. _Something._"

"Three days isn't enough time to get the message through."

"There _has _to be enough time. We can't let those people die. We can't have Sasuke with that-that seal. It could kill him!" At those words Anko was silent. She sighed heavily and ran her fingers thrugh her dark hair.

"Sakura…" she whispered. I was practically frozen in shock at the words she whispered. Anko never called me by my first name; it was always Haruno. " To get to the camp, it takes five days. The amount of time for the message to arrive combined with the amount of time needed to prepare just isn't enough. There is _**not **_enough time

"No!" I shouted. " I had this vision for a reason. I have to do something about this. There has to be a way!" I shot to my closet and slipped on my tennis shoes.

"Where the hell are you going?" Anko demanded. I glared at her before I realized how much of this wasn't her fault. She simply told me the facts, and that didn't mean she deserved my anger.

"I'm going to the camp."

"Sakura you _can't_." Hinata pleaded, Temari nodding in agreement.

"You cannot leave. You are unauthorized to do so." She grabbed my arm tightly, and even though I knew I was strong, Anko was stronger.

"Anko, have you ever loved someone? Have you ever loved someone so much that the simple thought of losing them made you hurt so much inside? I… I have never loved anyone—_anyone _as much as I love Sasuke. He's my lover, my soul mate; the father of my child. We've been through a helluva lot, and I'd be _damned_ if I let a time issue keep from saving him. I'm not going to sit here for the rest of my life and wonder what could've happened if I tried. I am _not _going to explain to Avi that his father was killed because I didn't do anything to help. Just because you've never loved anyone doesn't mean I can't save him! I'm going to that camp, and I don't care if I'm authorized to do so or not!"

After my outburst, Anko didn't argue. She simply stared at me before her brows furrowed. I was surprised when she ran her hands over her eyes and sighed loudly.

"Dammit," she muttered. When her eyes found mine again, she smiled. "Haruno, you don't know a single thing about me, or my life." The dark-haired woman reached in her jacket pocket and pulled out a string. Attached to it was a simple, silver ring. "Do you think I don't understand? You think I don't know how it feels to lose someone you love?" Anko tossed me the ring. It was beautiful with a diamond in the center. I suddenly felt horrible for the words I said to her. She was right, I didn't know a thing about her, and I accused her like I did.

"I had a fiancé just like you did. We were scheduled to be married the day after the war started, and when it did, we became separated, and I never saw him after that. It was an arranged marriage, yes, but that didn't mean I couldn't love him. This shithole doesn't allow outsiders in, or insiders out unless something serious is going on, so I couldn't even go looking for him. I've been stuck here for centuries, Sakura. _Centuries. _So don't tell me that I don't know, or that I don't understand. You know _nothing_ ."

"Anko-san I'm…I'm sorry. Do you know where he is? At all?"

"Yeah…I do now. He came here when the other vampires were coming in. I didn't fucking know he was here until I checked that stupid list the day after he left. And I don't even think he knows I'm still alive."

"Come with me to the camp Anko-san. That way, we can all find who we're looking for."

Anko crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me. "That's ridiculous."

"Anko-san, it's actually a great idea." Hinata whispered.

"You're authorized to leave the coven if you explain what's going on, right? You and I can go together and I can find Sasuke. If your fiancé is there, you'll be with him again. You've got to consider it Anko. We don't have much time."

Things were silent for an unbearably long time before Anko spoke quietly.

"Pack your things Haruno, we leave tonight."

**:**

Hours later after a lot of explaining and a crying Avi, Anko and I made our way to Camp 264. Once we got there, I would inform the camp, and Anko would set out to find her mystery man. I was happy for her, even though I'd only known her for a short period of time. Everyone deserves to love, right?

**:**

The entire trip, Anko only spoke two words to me. I just guessed she was nervous, which was understandable because even _I _was nervous. What if we were too late? What if Orochimaru showed while we weren't ready? There were so many questions I had, but Anko's two words made me rest assured. Today was the morning of June 3rd.

"We're here."

The camp wasn't what I expected. I expected a large group of men and women stuffed in small, hot tents. There was no protection and no way to stay clean.

Boy was I wrong.

Anko and I arrived at a large, gray brick wall. From what I could see, the wall was never-ending, so I figured it went in a circle around the camp. Towards the center where we arrived, was a tall red door with the symbol for Rose. Anko showed her I.D and we were allowed inside. The camp wasn't what I expected at all. Instead of tents, there were medium sized huts that seemed like they could hold at least 7-10 people. Off to one side was a bigger building with the words 'Weaponry'. As we walked through the camp, there were other resource buildings that I saw; Tactics, Mail, Supplements. I even saw training grounds, occupied by rippling-muscled vampires.

"Sakura!" I snapped back to my thoughts and followed Anko to the Service building. When we walked inside, we were –thankfully–greeted with a freshly air-conditioned room. We marched up to the front counter and to a busty woman who wore far too much makeup.

"Do you have an appointment?" the snobby woman asked, eyeing Anko and I suspiciously. Anko pulled out her I.D once more.

"I'm Anko Mitarashi and I'm here from Rose. I need to talk to Mr. Takahashi."

The blonde woman looked at Anko up and down before she tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Do you have an appointment?" she asked with a sly smirk.

"Look here bitch, Orochimaru is on his way. I say he'll be here in…five to six hours. Unless you want me to rip out those blonde extensions of yours, I suggest you find Takahashi and shove that appointment _bullshit _up your ass!"

The blonde paled and her eyes widened. "D-Did you say Orochimaru? Here?"

"Yes dammit! Hurry the fuck up or I'll march in there myself!"

"Did I hear someone say Orochimaru?" A thin man stepped into the room, adjusting his glasses. His badge read Hiro Takahashi and I recognized his name as the camp director. Anko nodded and pulled the man aside. I could make out a few words she was saying, about me and my vision and Oro's whereabouts. The man's facial expression changed, and suddenly, he was running around the office, barking orders and making phone calls.

"Mitarashi, Haruno go to Camp 264. It's the largest and we need help spreading the word. Go, go!"

Camp 264 was literally two hundred and sixty-four huts away. Anko and I ran, excusing the exhaustion of traveling three days straight without stopping. But this time, we ran as fast as we could because we both knew what was waiting for as at the finish.

266.

265.

264.

The first thing I saw at Camp 264 was three very large huts. By large I mean _huge. _When we arrived at the front lawn, I stood, not knowing what to do. I'd been waiting to see Sasuke for months, and here I was, afraid to see him. I looked like hell, I know I did. My chakra was low and my skin was terribly pale; would he want me?

Of course he would Sakura, you're delusional. My hand subconsciously went to my hair to smooth it down.

"Haruno," Anko barked. "Get in the one the left, I'll take the middle."

"O-Okay." I trudged to the cabin closest to me and slowly opened the door. When I did, I sighed in relief when I wasn't greeted by Sasuke and the others. I explained the situation to the occupants and informed them their mission, to spread the word and be ready to fight.

As they rushed to gather their things, I exited the hut. Anko was just leaving the one in the middle, frantic vampire running past her in the direction in of the other camps.

"I guess it's just this on now…" I muttered.

"Go," she motioned toward the last hut, and I silently cursed her. Of course she would make open the last one. I steadily walked to the hut's front door and bit my lip. He was there, I could feel him. The tears gathered in my eyes before I mustered enough strength to open the door.

"Haruno…" Anko's voice was a shaky whisper.

Just as I reached for the door, it swung open, knocking me aside.

"Sakura!" Before I could even recover, Sasuke's arms were around me tightly, squeezing, and suddenly, I was squeezing back with the same amount of force.

"Oh god, I missed you…I missed you." I cried. I pulled away and kissed him, my fingers ran through his now-thick hair and let them fall to his smooth neck. No curse. Sure it'd only been two months, and we'd been apart for as long as four years, but not knowing if he was dead or alive drove me insane. I pulled away, suddenly insecure when I realized I hadn't brushed my teeth in three days.

"What…what are you doing here?" he asked breathlessly. Sasuke was just as beautiful as I could remember, dark eyes and even darker hair. His hair was longer

"I-I had a vision…O-Orochimaru is on his way here. He's coming and he killed…" I took a deep breath and ran fingers through my tangled hair. "He killed a lot of people and injured more. He bit you and gave you this…this cursed seal. You were in so much pain…and…" Sasuke cupped my face.

"It'll be alright." He whispered. He kissed me softly and the world seemed to disappear until I heard soft crying behind me. I slowly turned and found Anko, gripping the shirt and crying softly into Kakashi's chest. I stared for a minute before it all came rushing back.

'_Kakashi were you ever married?' Naruto asked eagerly._

'_I guess you can say I was…a long time ago.'_ _My eyes drifted to the silver ring on his finger. I looked at Kakashi's downcast expression and noticed the uncomfortable subject._

'_Naruto…tell me about your family…'_

'I had a fiancé just like you did. We were scheduled to be married the day after the war started, and when it did, we became separated, and I never saw him after that.'

"Oh my god…" I whispered.

"They were together a while back." Sasuke muttered, a smirk on his face. "Kakashi gave up on looking for her ages ago, and Anko never had the time."

"Why didn't you like, get them back together?"

"It wasn't my job to do so. I knew they would find each other again. I could feel it." His grip on my hand tightened.

"Oh Kakashi…Kakashi…" Anko sobbed his name over and over. I never thought Anko, a feisty, hard-working woman would show so much emotion at one time. It was out of character. I allowed myself to smile slightly, but then I remembered why we were here. I glanced around us, watching as the vampire ran around the Camps. I sighed quietly as I saw how prepared they were becoming.

"Anko…what's going on?" Kakashi whispered softly in her ear.

"Orochimaru. He's coming here… we have t-to prepare…" her hands tightened on the back of his shirt.

"I've got it under control Anko, I promise." And then Kakashi did something I'd never seen him do. He reached up for his mask. Sasuke leaned in and I bit my lip, anxious. Just as he tugged at the mask, he turned around, his back to us and made the move to kiss Anko.

"Dammnit." Sasuke whispered.

"I guess we'll never see…" I mumbled.

"Kakashi-sensei." I turned my head at Naruto's voice. I made a move to approach him, but stopped when Sasuke suddenly stepped forward.

"How is he?" Sasuke asked. Naruto looked at his feet and wiped his eyes.

"He…he didn't make it."

Kakashi stepped away from Anko slowly and whispered to her the situation I was being excluded from.

"Kakashi…I'm sorry."

"Who are you talking about?" I asked. "Who didn't make it?" Kakashi stepped forward and patted Sasuke on his back. He then looked back at me and motioned for me to follow. We stepped inside the hut and made our way to the very back. When I stepped inside the room painted blue, I saw first, the blood. Then the body laying motionless on top of a futon. Shikamaru and Neji were hunched over him, their eyes glassy. Shikamaru's arm was swollen and red, adorning a long scar. Neji's body shook, and his skin seemed more pale than usual.

When Neji shifted slightly, I could see who the body belonged to. My hands flew to my mouth, and Sasuke pulled me to his chest. On the futon lay one of my brothers. One of my best friends and caretakers. The most artistic of the bunch, the joker, the name-caller.

Sai…he was dead.

**Wooooo…those damn cliffhangers. What can you do? Damn I didn't plan on killing Sai, I swear. It just…happened. I will let you know that in the story, he was going to die either way. In Sakura's vision, he was one of the casualties and he was fatally wounded in battle in the real life. So yeah…**

**PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS ANIME, please review…please?**

**-Jazz Out (fo sheezy)**


	32. Nos mos triumphus!

**Ah, the patience… I've been so busy, like you have no idea…I'm sorry? I love youuuu! Sorry, things are about to get a little strange…  
So I just finished watching Eclipse and it sucked. Point blank. The book was the bomb, the movie was a dud. Oh and hey! This chapter goes out to you all who still bother to review, and ANDYPINK97 who has the fuckin' **_**nerve **_**to steal my story on Quizilla. Wanna find her? Just type in 'Chocolate Roses adopted.' In google and she's the first to show up…insert angry face…**

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 31**

There was absolutely no time to mourn. I cried. For myself, for the pain I knew the others were holding back, and for Ino, who I knew was now patiently waiting at home for her lover to return. Sai's body was shipped back to Rose almost immediately after I saw his body, and it killed me because I didn't even get to say goodbye. I didn't even remember the last thing my brother said to me. As I watched the small cart-like train pull off carrying the bodies of the dead, I wanted to scream. How would the families and loved ones cope? How could the wife live knowing her husband was killed weeks before he was due to come home again? My stomach dropped a little. How would Ino cope? And what if my artist of a brother wasn't the last?

"Sakura!" I jumped and swiftly turned to Anko. She looked irritated and exhausted, but I didn't even care at the moment."Mission information, now."

Orochimaru was absent, absent as in three hours behind scheduled attack. This left us at an advantage and a disadvantage. Because of the extra time, we could properly prepare our warriors. But there was only so much we can do. The fighters get antsy and impatient and _unprepared_. I looked up at the empty orange skies before steadily walked back to the Assembly Room. The Assembly room was a gathering place for the fighters, a place to talk strategy, tactics and specialties. For the second time that night, I replayed every memory, every bit of my vision to the group. They listened intently, some already readying themselves for fight. I could practically feel the bloodlust radiating off their bodies.

Anko and Hiro Takahashi explained Orochimaru's strengths, weaknesses and strategies before the real 'fun' started. The overseers of the specific camps handed each of their assigned warriors weapons, reinforced pills and fire summoning. Kakashi handed the items to the family and to the occupants of the cabin next to theirs. As a closing to the small ceremony we had, some of the earthly, tribal vampire stepped forward, reciting ancient text for good luck and painting the 'face' of a warrior on everyone. The mens' makeup had triangles under each eye and a thick line across the forehead. The women had double triangles under each eye, and a circle in the middle of the forehead, a thick line on either side.

At the end of the ceremonial face painting, we all huddled in a giant circle and chanted, all of us linked by hands and embraced by shoulders.

"We are the ones!" an elder screamed. "We fight for our brethren, for the dead, for our children, for our families. To every tainted creature, to every evil soul that has tortured our lives, killed our children and brothers and sisters, this goes to you. We are here!"

We nodded and grunted. As I looked around, tears of—what I thought was—triumph and joy flowed from many eyes, and soon, I found myself in tears. Sasuke gripped my hand at this, Naruto gripping my other.

"The Council will ignore us no longer! _Orochimaru _will ignore us no longer! We fight to the last heart of the tainted souls stops beating, we bring them _down _at all costs. _Nos mos non intereo, ea mos non lucror_!" We will not die, they will not win.

"_**Ea mos non lucror**_**!" **We chanted back to the elder. I bit my tears back and sucked in my breath. He was right. The pride swelling through my heart was almost unbearable, and I squeezed the hell out of the hands keeping me together.

"_Nos mos triumphus!"_

"**Nos mos triumphus!" **We will triumph.

"_Nos mos triumphus!"_

"**Nos mos triumphus! Nos mos triumphus! Nos mos triumphus!" **we shouted those words into the night. We made sure everyone could hear us, every word, every cry, and every sound. Everything was in our hands now, _everything _was on the line.

**:**

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked as we lay in bed that night. His long arm wrapped around my waist, the other resting comfortably behind his head. I tilted my head to look into his honest black eyes.

"No." I whispered back. "I can't sleep." No one could at this point. Everyone was on edge, awaiting Oro's arrival. Sasuke and I snuck away from the Assembly room because I couldn't control my tears. I didn't understand it, I hadn't cried like that in ages. With the death of Sai, and the overwhelming stress I've been feeling, the gratification from the warriors just…awe-inspiring. Sasuke held me as I cried, whispered, cooed, but I just couldn't stop. Until I felt the feel of his lips, slightly chapped due to the sun.

Thinking about how much I missed him since he'd been gone made me think about Ino, then about Sai, which brought about another wave of hysteria. I mentally thanked Sasuke for tolerating my cry fits, because I knew I was acting border-line insane. It was recently that my cries slowed to sobs, and my sobs to quiet whimpers and sniffing. As I wiped my eyes, the paint came with the tears, and I attempted to wipe the rest off.

"Do you want to talk?" he asked quietly, his lips gracing my forehead.

"No." Sasuke exhaled through his nose.

"What can I do?" I squeezed my eyes tightly, as tight as I possibly could. He was trying to keep himself together while trying to do the same for me. He was hurting, and suddenly, I hated myself. Crying and whining to him about Sai and my fears and my problems, discarding the fact that Sasuke had a lot more on his plate. He was Sai's brother for centuries, worked, trained and fought beside him for _centuries._ And I'd know him, what, 5 or 6 years?

"I'm sorry Sasuke. I-I'm so, so sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I-I'm just making things worse for you, being a burden. I'll stop, I-I'm sorry—" I rolled away from his grip wiping my smeared face again.

"Sakura." Sasuke gripped both of my wrists and pulled me back to the bed.

"Yes?" my lower lip shook, and tears threatened to fall again.

"I love you," he lightly kissed my lips and smiled slightly when he pulled away. "Be strong for me, okay?"

I nodded and sighed loudly still rubbing at my face. Sasuke got off the bed, pulling a shirt over his head and ruffling his hair. "Did you want to go get something to eat?" he asked me.

"Sure." Sasuke chuckled slightly and trudged to the bathroom, when he returned, he had wet towels in his hands.

"You might wanna wipe this stuff off your face before you go. You look like a clown." Sasuke's strained smile caused me to smile slightly. I allowed him to gently wipe the gunk off my face and once again felt my heart swell. He was always, always taking care of me.

"Sakura," Sasuke pulled away quickly, confusion in his eyes. "What's going on with you?"

"Ugh! Dammit I don't know! Every time I..I _think, _my mind just twists it around and I start crying!" I ran fingers through my hair. "I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me Sasuke. I swear I must be pregnant or something." The moment those words slipped from my mouth, I stopped in my tracks. Sasuke was watching me intently, his brows furrowing.

"Saku—"

"No, no, I was kidding. It's impossible, remember?"

"Yeah but the _rules _never really apply to you, _remember?" _Sasuke slid his sandals on, still watching me with narrowed eyes. "You've escaped death a countless number of times, had Avi while in a vampire form, formed an alliance with the Akatsuki. You've done numerous things that went beyond all the rules. I don't think another…baby is entirely impossible."

"But it is!"

"And if it isn't?" he smirked at me,that infamous Uchiha smirk.

"Sasuke…" I pursed my lips in thought. "I'm dead. Dead people can't have babies!"

He laughed flashing his pearly whites, and making me flutter all together. "You…" he laughed again, leaning on the doorway. If I wasn't so focused on the fact that he was laughing on me, I would've been swooning over his deep ,amazing laugh.

"What is so funny?" He ignored me and continued laughing. "Sasuke!" I could feel myself getting flustered, and I stepped a little closer to the man.

"What, what, I'm listening."

"Gah! Why are you laughing at me you… _duck-head._ I swear you're the pregnant one over here!" Sasuke smiled and grabbed hold of my shoulders, pushing me back against the door. He kept my arms by my waist by holding them down firmly.

"Shh…" he hissed in my ear, his tongue jutting out to lick the base of my ear. "Duck head? That's original."

"S-Shut up," I managed to whisper out to him. "You can't always keep me quiet by seducing me." He trailed his soft kisses down the base of my neck, stopping at the nape. "I-I'm not as vulnerable as you  
t-think!"

"Mm-hmm. I bet."

"Can we continue this later? I'm not in the mood for physical contact." Sasuke pulled back and looked at me, an eyebrow raised. We stared at each other for a minute or two before he broke the uncomfortable silence.

"What if you are pregnant?"

I closed my eyes and sighed quietly. "I don't know what I would do."

"Is that a good I don't know or a bad one?"

"I don't know."

"Sakura, if you're worried about having a baby just like Hinata was, tell me."

I bit my lip. "Ah…I—"

"Don't say 'I don't know'."

"Sasuke, dammit what do you want me to say? That its fine and dandy to have a baby in this hellish environment? Look around us! Sai just got shipped off in a body bag, and Oro hasn't even arrived yet! Sasuke, this isn't a joke, we have to take this seriously!"

"Do you think I'm not taking this seriously? I know what goes on around here, I know the risks! I just want you to trust me Sakura! It's like you're incapable of doing that or something!"

"I _can _trust you, I _do. _More than you can ever imagine," I lowered my voice about five notches and covered my face with my hands. "I trust you with my life, I trust you with Avi's…I do, I swear I do." I could feel my wet tears sliding down my wrists.

_Stop crying. Stop, stop, stop!_

Sasuke's hands pulled mine from my face, and he wiped the tears away. God, I loved it when he did that.

"I know you do, that's why when, _if _we have this baby, I'll do whatever it takes to keep him or her safe, I promise."

"Okay, okay." I closed my eyes again. _Regain composure Sakura, get yourself together!_

"Now," Sasuke fell back on the bed, bouncing twice then patting the side next to him. I lay by his side and snuggled right where I was before. "What we name him?"

"Him? What if she's a girl?"

"Then we should name _her… _Hana or something…something like your name."

"I don't like Hana, there was a girl back in 3rd grade who…nevermind. Well if he's a boy, I say we name him after Sai, how's that sound?"

He grinned widely. "It sounds perfect." We were silent for a moment, and I turned slightly to see his face. He looked deep in thought. "I've got it."

"Got what?"

"If she's a girl, we'll name her Sayuri."

"Sayuri…after the lily…it's perfect."

"Yeah…"

I closed my eyes, sleep almost coming easily because my eyes were heavy from tears. Sasuke's arm found itself back around me again and we fell in step together.

At least until the explosions started.

**Just to clear things up and make them a little less…weird…Sakura doesn't consider Sasuke her brother, only the others because they are brotherly figures…got it? ;) Sorry for the CLIFFAYYYY…jk no I'm not! Review peoples and check out that ANDYPINK97 bitch. And hey ANDY, since I know you're reading this right now since you copy my chapters word by word every time I post, please don't mess with my pet bull. Guarantee, you **_**will **_**get the HORNY HORNS.**


	33. Slither

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 32**

**Trying to update ASAP because…yeah ;D…oh and I didn't mention last chapter, but KinkyK and JazzyJ did **_**not **_**win the author of the month award –insert sadness-. Yeah, we came in 4****th**** place, and lost to third by **_**1**_** point. Thanks to those who voted and enjoy the chapter. **

**P.S : did you notice how good my writing had been lately?**

Three explosions shook the ground near our cabin, and it took me a few seconds to register what was happening. We were being attacked. I scrambled out the bed and threw my shoulder strap over my neck. It contained everything I would need for this battle, and held them in small pouches on the pack. Sasuke followed my actions and ran outside with me.

I kicked the door down— not having any patience to simply open it—and surveyed my surroundings. Our fighters were already rushing into their individual battle formations, weapons armed. I could see Naruto's blonde head through the crowd off vampires, and he must've sensed us because he turned and waved in our direction.

"Come on!" As Sasuke and I neared closer to our brother, we noticed the body he was already carrying in his hands. I recognized the teenager from the Assembly as one of the ones who was screaming the loudest. He was moaning in pain, and I cringed at the sight of the stump where his arm used to be. Surrounding the shoulder area was burnt and torn flesh, the stench filling my nostrils.

"You have to get these people underground Sakura. There're more like him." Naruto placed the boy in my arms and nodded to one of the three craters in the ground where the bombs hit. "I don't know when they're coming back, but Oro is in the area. They sent out fire bombs." His blue eyes narrowed in on Sasuke behind me. "You ready man?" Naruto stuck his hand out at Sasuke, Sasuke shaking it with a loud smack.

"Yeah, let's do this."

"Haruno!" I turned sharply at Anko's panic-filled voice and saw that she too was struggling hoisting the injured on gurneys to go underground.

"S-Sasuke, I have to go." I whispered. I turned back to him, placing a kiss on his cheek. He smiled at me as best he could and placed a sweet kiss on my lips.

"I love you, stay safe." I nodded at his words and gave a small kiss to Naruto as well. He grinned at me that award-winning smile.

"I'll see you soon, both of you," I slowly backed away from the two, the boy in my arms stirring uncomfortably. "Pass the word!" I turned back to Anko and ran in her direction, joining her by her side.

"We have to get these people underground, we can treat them there. Miya, start hauling them off, Sakura follow her!" Anko yelled a an abnormally tall, blonde girl near us.

"Yes ma'am." She took two gurneys at a time and headed towards the front. I mimicked her actions, put my wounded teenager on one gurney, and another boy, a little younger on the other. The boy—I knew immediately—was dead. His entire left side was crushed, hanging limply and bleeding through the torn skin. I watched him in confusion. The boy was definitely dead, I knew that, but…what caused his death?

A normal human would be dead if he suffered the same injuries, but not a normal vampire.

"Sakura, get moving!"

"Wait, Anko-san, whats the C.O.D on this one?"

"We don't have time—"

I held my hand up and turned his head to the side, brushing away his long brown hair. Just as I suspected, two puncture wounds, vampire bites rested on his neck. "He was drained. Anko, someone drained his blood. T-That means they're here, in the camp." The panic was _clearly _in my voice.

Anko closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Dammit, dammit, dammit…" she whispered under her breath. Her eyes snapped open quickly and she beckoned more women and nurses to help load the bodies. As we all hurried, I counted four other victims who had their blood drained, and only two out of the four survived. The underground hospital was located on the far left of the entrance, completely out of view of the 'battlefield'. Anko did a summoning seal and opened the passage way hurriedly running down the steps. A few spots away from the stairs was another wall, and I could feel the powerful chakra radiating from the spot. Anko performed yet another seal and the doors slid open.

"I'll teach you the seals another time, preferably when we aren't being attacked. If you're going to be a doctor for Rose, you'll be down here a lot." I nodded to her and watched in amazement as the doors completely opened. Inside was literally, an underground hospital. It was far bigger than the one at Rose, but only consisted of one big room. There was a faint sterile smell to it, but it was completely overwhelmed by the stench of burnt flesh and blood. I rolled my gurneys to one of the many cots lined in a neat row towards the back. I gently placed the victims on the cots and began treating the wounds.

Within minutes, the hospital was filled with the wounded. Thankfully, the majority of them had minor injuries like poison or burns. Those victims were bandaged and treated, then sent back in to the battlefield. The others, who were missing limbs, fingers or toes were bandaged as well, and if we found their missing appendages, we re-attached them.

It seemed like we were underground for what seemed like days, but really, it was only a couple of house. I couldn't stand being underground, especially knowing what was going on on leveled ground. Things calmed down in the hospital, thankfully; we only received patients with minor injuries.

"Sakura," Anko called out to me as she finished wrapping the arm of a girl.

"Yes ma'am."

"I'm going up, I need to see if there are any more drainage victims."

"But what if they…"

"Then I'll have to fight. It's a risk I'll have to take, but I trust you can handle things around here, am I right?" she gave me a small reassuring smile, but I didn't buy it.

"Anko-san…I don't know…I'm not as skilled…" she dropped a hand on my shoulder and squeezed, a stern look in her eyes.

"I trust you Haruno, you've proved yourself worthy of this role many, many times. You can do this, don't screw it up." She patted my shoulder once more and ran up the stairs. I bit my lip and looked around, noticing that I was now surrounded by the patients, all by myself.

I waited around for about an hour, and considering Anko didn't come back, I assumed she was fighting. I handled the patients well, treated them with morphine, talking and telling stories with the conscious ones. One of the older patients pointed out the television to me -with sign language since he could not speak—and signed that the television was connected to several hidden cameras around the camp. I took me a minute to work it, but I figured out that out of the 6 channels, it showed footage from 5 of the cameras above.

I sat quietly, flipping through the channels and watching the fight. The warriors were holding their own and avoiding injuries, leaving me generally impressed. Some of my family came in and out of sight but luckily they were all unharmed.

"Sakura…" I turned quickly at the sound of Akito's sedated voice. He was the teenager with the missing arm, the one I treated first. Anko and I were unable to find his arm, so we treated the wound and put him on morphine for the pain. I hurried to him and could practically feel his chakra rising and falling, going haywire because of the drugs.

"Yes, Akito, are you alright?"

"No, I…I can feel it. Everything is just…" he closed his eyes and sighed quietly.

"It's the morphine Akito. It kind of makes you feel things that aren't really there."

"No, I know what it is. It's not just…it's not a random feeling. It's a chakra…a very strong one."

"Are you sure you aren't feeling it from above?"

"No. It's…him-" Akito stopped and shot up, grabbing his throat. He began choking and wheezing.

"What's wrong? What—" I took the blood tube out of his arm and removed the morphine dripper before I lifted Akito upright. I attempted to remove his hands from his throat, but he only continued to gag. I brought green chakra to my hands and started to heal at the base of this neck, working my way up. This, I realized, was futile for Akito started to throw up blood. I cursed in anger as Akito continued to get worse and worse as I healed him.

Behind me I could hear faint coughing, which began escalating to loud retching. I looked around me, only to be greeted by every single one of my patients coughing, gagging and throwing up blood.

"What the fuck is going on!" I cursed again and ran my shaking fingers through my hair. I didn't know what to do! Akito gripped the sleeve of my shirt and pulled me back to him. Tears ran down his cheeks, the blood still flowing freely from his mouth. There was a bulging long object moving up and inside his throat. Akito snatched my hand and, with his hands shaking uncontrollably, wrote the three letters 'O.R.O' in his blood.

As the word registered in my head, Akito doubled over and let out a long, guttural moan before he suddenly became still. My mouth gaped open in shock and in fear as Akito's skin broke out in large purple blotches. I lightly pushed Akito back against the bed and found his eyes wide open and glazed over.

"Akito." I whispered. The long tube-shaped object continued to move inside his throat, but before could reach inside the dead boy's mouth, a purple and black snake slowly slithered out and stared at me. I jumped back slightly and warily glanced around me. Just as I thought, the choking from the patients had stopped, and snakes began sliding out of their mouths. "Oh my god." I murmered. I backed to the middle of the room for the snakes seemed to skid closer to me. I was never a fan of reptiles, and under the circumstances, I was especially terrified.

I lifted my foot and slammed it down on one of the closer snakes and grimaced when it splattered over the white tile.

"_You don't like them?"_

I spun at the low hissing voice, finding no one behind me. "Who's there?" I shouted. I could sense no chakra, but I was sure I heard the voice clear.

"_Oh yes my dear, you have," _I could feel someone's breath, hot against my neck. I turned again, finding nothing once more.

"Come out! Don't screw with me!" It was here, so close! But where?

"_Would you like to see?" _ A tongue flicked out to lick my ear, still breathing hotly. And then, before I could even react, or move, or scream, I was _slammed _against a hospital bed, easily leaving a large dent in the side. The dead body sitting in it slumped over and halfway rolled on top of me. I moaned and pushed the body away. I wobbled to my feet, shaking the injuries away the best I could.

"_Oh dear, we've got a strong one," _the voice laughed, sending chills coursing through my body. "_You would be so,so useful."_

"Who the fuck are you? Come out and fight me, bastard!" I brought chakra to my fists and angrily punched the wall.

"_Allow me to introduce myself," _As quickly as I blinked, my arms were pinned painfully to my back so tightly, one push would cause them both to break. The hands binding me were freezing cold, and they pushed me harshly into the wall face first. Instantly, a chakra like I'd never felt gusted through the room, almost knocking me unconscious. It was powerful, far, far too powerful for me to handle. I gasped and struggled against the grip, struggled to get away.

"My name," a long snake –like tongue traveled up my shoulder and up my neck before the man dangerously whispered to words against my lips. "is Orochimaru."

**DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN. Omfg, this was scary/sad to type, no joke. Aannyywwaayysss I honestly have nothing to say but…**

**Gimme a 'R'**

**Gimme a 'E'**

**Gimme a 'V'**

**Gimme a 'I'**

**Gimme a 'E'**

**Gimme a 'W'**

**Whats that spell? ****REVIEW!**


	34. 24 Seconds

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 33**

**Damn…it's been a whole year. Thanks for all those who reviewed with their suggestions. X's and O's .**

**Enjoy!**

"My name," a long snake –like tongue traveled up my shoulder and up my neck before the man dangerously whispered two words against my lips. "is Orochimaru."

It took a moment before the man's words registered…before I could truly grasp what the hell just happened. I was in the presence of Orochimaru, the enemy and hands down one of the most powerful vampires alive. I didn't respond, but simply inhaled sharply. I recoiled slightly at Orochimaru's horrid breath.

"Anko will be here soon." I said calmly. "Whatever you plan to do, you better do it before you're found out."

A chuckle erupted from the villain's mouth. "I couldn't agree more." Orochimaru retorted quickly. His hands gripped my wrists tighter and pushed my arms higher and higher above my head. I groaned in pain and was forced to turn around to prevent the breaking of my arms.

I cringed, displeased at the sight of the man keeping me captive. His golden, snake-like eyes stared back at me with a creepy intenseness. As if he as looking deep into my soul, calculating my every move, my every thought. Light purple lines stretched from the corners of his eyes and molded almost perfectly with the bridge of his nose.

His face was long and narrow and his lips were thin and chapped. As I thought this, his long pointed tongue slid out and licked them. As I grimaced in disgust, his face split in two with a wide grin.

The silence was unbearable and agonizing. My head was filled with impossible thoughts, as we stood, staring and unmoving. Was he going to kill me? Torture me, keep me hostage?

I began to writhe in his grip, never moving my eyes from his. I lifted my foot and kicked. Hard. Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and his grip loosened for a second. That was enough time for me to yank my arm down, gather chakra and force my fist in his stomach. As Orochimaru doubled over, I scattered away, relieved. Just as I became comfortable with the situation, the hunched body of my nemesis dissolved to a bundle of snakes.

"Shit!" I cursed. "Where the hell are you? Get out here and fight me Orochimaru!" I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my fingerless gloves. I knew things were about to get serious. If I had any chance of getting out of the underground hospital, I would have to fight my way out. I was mentally and physically unprepared, but I had to get out of here alive and as soon as possible.

"Looking for me?"

I spun around and found nothing but an empty space. I grunted in exasperation. "Don't toy with me!" Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I closed my eyes and strained my ears to hear every echo, every rumble behind me. The ruckus from above was faint, quieter than earlier so I guessed the battle was coming to an—

"You let your guard down."

And then, as if he floated on the thin air, Orochimaru appeared behind me, his body mere inches away from mine. I spun around ready to swing when his fist struck the side of my face. His hit was extremely powerful—inhuman—and it sent me to the ground. I involuntarily curled in a small ball and held my face, moaning at the colossal pain I felt.

"Oh god." I whispered. I looked down at myself for showing my weaknesses, for crying in front of the likes of Orochimaru. It was beneath me. With all the will power I could muster, I bit back my tears and my sobs and pulled myself to my knees and elbows. I looked at the grimy ground and watched as my blood and the last of my tears dropped to the ground. I exhaled and set my gaze on Orochimaru's feet then worked myself back to my feet.

"Still trying to fight I see." Within seconds, Orochimaru's hand was around my neck and my body was being forced violently against the stonewall.

"What do you want from me?" my swollen face muffled my words.

Orochimaru ran his free hand through his long jet black hair and chuckled menacingly. "Nothing really. The real question is, 'What do you have of mine?'"

I narrowed my eyes. "What're you talking about?"

"You have something of mine that I want, that I _need_. And you're the only one who knows where he is."

'_**He?' **_I thought.

"It is very simple actually. You see Sakura Haruno, the body I am currently inhabiting is no longer suitable to my…fastidious tastes. I want a strong body," Orochimaru's left hand grazed my sides and stroked my figure. "one so powerful that there are no likelihoods that I will ever fail. For me to accomplish such a feat, I will need the body of your lover, Sasuke Uchiha."

I gasped in disbelief. "What?"

"Sasuke Uchiha has a beautiful bloodline limit, the last of its kind. A child like you could never understand the importance of such a thing. I want him, and you will tell me where to find him."

I didn't respond, but stood there unmoving. I would never orally give away Sasuke's whereabouts, but I was confused as to why Orochimaru approached me instead of going above ground to scout.

"No." I whispered. I hated being in this situation. This had only happened to me once many years ago with Tylar when I refused to give Sasuke up. As much as I got hurt and tortured and beaten, I refused to give my lover away. And I never would.

"Excuse me?" Orochimaru's grip around my neck tightened.

"I-I said no. I won't do it."

Orochimaru scoffed and tossed me to the floor beneath him. As I rolled upright, a heavy foot collided with my side.

"Think about this Haruno. There are many things I can do to Sasuke, many, many things. I can take him away from you in a blink of an eye."

"Fuck you." I spat my thick blood at his feet. "Find someone else!"

"How about that child of yours, hm? Would he suffice?" I snapped my head back to him and delivered my fiercest glare. "Now I'm getting your attention."

You leave Avi out of this! This is between me and you!" I got back to my feet, holding my side and ignoring my wobbling legs. "You want them? Fight me, beat it out of me!"

"Would you risk your life for them? A man who left you for years and a child who—"

"They are my life!" I screamed. "I'd rather die before I live a day without them! You don't know Avi, you don't know Sasuke and you don't know me!" I ran at Orochimaru, my chakra focused. Orochimaru dodged and I anticipated that move so I punched the ground beneath him. Orochimaru grunted and jumped in the air as debris collided with his form.

"Fūton: Daitoppa!" Orochimaru called out. A large gust of wind attacked me and taken back, I was thrown across the hospital. The collision with the back wall was enough for me. As my back hit the stonewall, I heard a cracking sound—whether it was my body or the wall I didn't know—and my head bounced off the surface. The wind subsided and my body slumped to the ground. I couldn't do it. Even the simplest techniques were too much for me to handle. I was simply exhausted.

"Sakura Haruno." Orochimaru slowly walked over to my form and knelt beside me. As I looked into those disgusting eyes, I could've sworn I saw remorse. "There is nothing ii hate more than a supernatural creature who refuses to accept it's true being. You are a vampire yet you hang on to silly human emotions such as love and pain. The true supernaturals that discard those feelings begin to hone their true abilities instead of being crippled by their emotions. I pity you. You are driven solely by your love for your friends and family, but when they are dead and gone, what would you fight for?" Orochimaru tilted my chin so I forced to look directly at him. I swatted my hand at his face the best I could but Orochimaru didn't even budge.

"You cannot defeat me, it is impossible but I admire your persistence. I have a new proposition for you Haruno and if I don't receive an answer within 1 minute, I will kill you on the spot."

There was silence for a minute before he continued. "You have three options. You can go back to home and inform Sasuke Uchiha of my plans. I will only give you a month's time before I send my men to kill you and everyone affiliated with you. The second option is your death. You say you would risk your life for your loved ones and in return for their safety, you would die. The third and final option is your slavery. You would work as my slave for the rest of your life in return for your family's safety. Choose now Sakura Haruno, your time is running out."

I clenched my fists and squeezed my eyes shut. This wasn't fair, not by any stretch of the imagination. Orochimaru opened his mouth wide and pulled a long blade from the back of his throat. When he stood, he placed the blade against my throat.

"You have 24 seconds."

With a heavy-hearted sigh, I looked up the monster that held my life and many others in his hands. There was only one thing I could do, one thing that was morally correct.

"I choose…I choose to…"

:

**BUMBUMBUMMMMMM haha I'm so sorry guys! I honestly debated on whether or not I should keep going but…yeah.**

**It's 4:31:42 right now and I'm about to freakin pass out SO!**

**I hope you enjoyed that surprisingly long chapter and R E V I E W**

**-Jazz Out**


	35. READ THIS

Words can't even describe how I feel right now. K and I were sitting at lunch today, literally talking about how long it's been since we've written, and about all the good stories we used to read, and I've finally come to the conclusion that I am returning. This story hasn't been updated in a year, and I know many of you are wondering why and when. SO without any further adieu, I say hello. To reviewers new and old. I am back, and I will begin to write this story again, if it's the last thing I do. I know this may be too much to ask, but contact me! PM, review, email, whatever. But let me know your thoughts on my finishing this story. I feel like I owe it to you guys and myself to finish my very first story. I would like to return, but only if I am welcomed. Love you guys.

-Jazz Out


	36. Chapter 34

**I promised to give this to you guys. If you're reading this, well, I love you. I understand that being away for so long doesn't guarantee that I'll keep the same reviewers I had in the beginning, but thank you to everyone who has been reading this story from the very beginning.**

_**Chocolate Roses**_

**Chapter 34**

"I choose…I choose to…" I paused again, contemplating my next action. Orochimaru's yellow eyes bore into mine, cold and calculating, watching my every pause; my every breath and momentary lapse of judgment. Looking down at the blade that was dangerously placed against my throat, I knew that it was futile to try to attack the man. Somehow, I would have to find a way for him to back down or release or loosen his hold on the blade.

"Ten seconds." Orochimaru's lips curled into an ugly, sly smile as the time ticked away. With a heavy sigh, I lowered my head, closed my eyes and said,

"Kill me." I was pushing my luck. With my words, Orochimaru could've taken my head clean off with one swift motion, or he could back away and speak, giving me just enough time to start my genjutsu. Orochimaru smiled widely and took half a step back.

"Interesting," he began. "Surely I thought you would choose to become my slave."

"I'd rather die." I said softly. "But…" I looked up at Orochimaru with pleading eyes. "But you can't hurt my child or Sasuke. You have to leave my family out of this."

"I'm a man of word. You death will be more than enough, so much that Sasuke will come for me by himself." Orochimaru threw his head back with laughter. "He'll want to avenge you, he'll come after me and in the end, and I'll get what I want." With that, Orochimaru pulled his blade away from my throat and waved it in the air. I then realized that it would be futile to try to take the blade away from him. He wouldn't let go for a second. Just as I thought, I would have to use my strongest genjutsu against him, just to save myself for a little while longer.

"Tell me Sakura Haruno," he pointed the blade at my throat. "Do you want a quick death, or a slow one?" he then pointed the blade at my chest. I shook my head.

"I don't care," I lied, hoping deep down inside that he would try to make me suffer so that my genjutsu would work. Orochimaru then knelt beside me and placed his face dangerously close to mine, his breath hot and disgusting and smelling of blood. I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt his long snake-like tongue work its way across my cheek and down my neck. I shivered, resisting the urge to grab his tongue and pull it directly from his mouth. But I sat, back against the wall, and let him. He was beyond disgusting, so much that I could not even bear to fathom how someone could be so downright…evil. Juggling my life and the lives of so many others in his hands for fun, not even thinking of the consequences, of the families; the parents missing their son or daughter, a wife, her husband, a husband, his wife. A _child _his mother or father, or _both._ It was all so wrong, so wrong on so many levels that I felt my hands shake, my chakra rising and bubbling with anger. He was so close. I could just kill him right then and there.

"Mmm," Orochimaru whispered, his tongue flicking the base of my ear. "How I wish your lover could see you in this state. Vulnerable, weak, completely under my control. Sasuke would like to believe that you are his, and only his. He thinks that no other man can touch you." With this, he snaked his hand under my shirt. I tensed. "Relax," he hissed. "Tell me something Sakura Haruno, tell me how it feels knowing you're about to die." He chuckled against my skin and suddenly, his hands were under my shirt again, dangerously sliding upwards, agonizingly slow, testing me. "Aren't you afraid?"

"Yes," I whispered, my eyes still closed tightly. As his hands found the clasp of my bra, I tensed again, leaning backwards and using my right hand to lightly push Orochimaru. "Don't touch me." I said. Orochimaru didn't listen; instead he grabbed the wrist of the hand I used to push him with, and bent it behind me back. I groaned in pain; he was going to break my other arm.

"You like this," he whispered. "Me being in control, you like this."

"You're delusional." I spat, compromising my cover.

"Does he satisfy you?" he asked.

"He's the only one," I said. Orochimaru pinned me down then, my right arm still behind my back, my lower body useless because of his straddling me. "He's the only one," I repeated a little louder. I turned my head to the side, averting his gaze. "Get off of me." I threatened. "Get _off_."

"Ahh, perfect." Orochimaru laughed heartily. "A struggle. It's always better when they struggle." I was rendered completely useless. His body was heavy, completely weighing mine down. My only good arm was pinned behind my back, the other rendered useless as it proved to be broken as well. And my chakra, what little I had left, had to be saved for my genjutsu. But it would all be pointless if he didn't follow through with his plan. One blow through the chest was all I needed. Until then, I could only wait. "You are the most unique vampire I've ever come across, aside from Naruto Uzumaki, the boy with the fox demon inside of him. To be able to bear children is a feat in itself." He chuckled again. "Are you sure you wouldn't want to be my slave?"

I knew what he was suggesting and I scoffed, cringing in disgust. "Why are you doing this?" I asked. "Why don't you just kill me? I chose to die and yet you're…"

"I want to be closer to Sasuke Uchiha. I want to touch what he touches, see what he sees," his hands stroked the side of my face. "Feel what he feels, for soon, I will have his power. He will be mine. That is why you're here Sakura Haruno. You are mine, just as you are his."

"You don't own me."

"Don't I?"

I opened my mouth to respond but my words fell short when Orochimaru reached behind him and grabbed the blade again. "I hold your life in my hands." He stood, no longer straddling my body, and placed the blade directly over my abdomen. "Within any given moment, I could kill you." Using a small amount of force, he pressed the blade against my flesh, the tip puncturing my skin. I gasped, involuntarily reaching out to grab at the sword and pull it away.

"Stop." I rasped.

"This is what I live for; watching the life drain from your eyes, the color from your skin. Watching you squirm and beg and fight for your life, even when you know that you could never be as strong as someone like me." He pressed harder, and I could hear the small popping sound as the sword broke my skin and slowly slid into my belly. I cried out, arching my back in pain. I knew a wound like this couldn't kill me, but it still hurt as if I were still human, maybe even more. "Does this hurt?" he pushed the blade all the way in. I refused to respond to the man, but when he swiftly removed the blade and shoved it into my ribcage, I nearly screamed. Orochimaru twisted the blade and wiggled it, listening to and enjoying my cries of pain. I writhed against the blade, covering my face in shame as I allowed myself to show such emotion.

"Let me see your face." Orochimaru said as he pulled my hands away from my eyes. I jerked against him, throwing my hands upward and slapping Orochimaru. His eyes darkened immediately. Abruptly, Orochimaru yanked the blade from my ribcage and dangled it over my chest. "I believe I've let this go on long enough, don't you think?"

Now. I closed my eyes and carefully activated my genjutsu. I'd only used it once against Deidara during one of our sparring matches. The jutsu was still in its experimental stage, but now was the time to truly test its strength. Luckily, Orochimaru didn't notice that I had already begun to die before his blade came in contact with my non-beating heart. The blade went through and through, and Orochimaru let the sword linger for a moment before he pulled it back out and forced it back in.

The genjutsu caused me to feel no pain, it only allowed me to silently slip away, as if going into a deep, deep sleep. I gasped, unable to let the words that were on the tip of my tongue, break free. I could feel myself slipping. Although most of the feeling had left my body, I could feel the dull throb in my stomach area, and I couldn't tell if it was from the stab wound or something else. But then I felt another painful throb, unlike the pain of the stab wound.

"God…." I whisipered. Before I completely lost consciousness, I could hear Orochimaru's laughter as he began to celebrate. He thought he'd won, and if I could laugh at that moment, I would have.

And then, everything went black.

:

Almost immediately, I could sense that something was wrong. Looking to my left, I ducked and dodged the kunai that was aimed at my head, and then dropped to a knee to swipe the Rogue from under its feet. Taken back, it crashed to the ground, back first, and grunted. I gripped my blade and drove it into the neck of the vampire, severing his head completely. I hopped over the body, and dodged another wave of Rogues.

"Sasuke!" I turned and found Naruto who was finishing match with a Rogue twice his size. He was massive, his muscles protruding through his dirty T-shirt. I walked backwards placing my back against his and sighing heavily. A group of us were finishing the second wave of Rogue vampires. The camps around her were destroyed, fire ensuing in the woods and the cabins around them. The only sounds heard were the clanging of the blades and kunai, the grunts and moans of the dying and those who continued to fight, and the harsh whistling of the winds as a storm formed above, the air pressure weighing down on use like bricks. We were handling the Rogues well, Naruto and I. Looking around, Neji and Shikamaru, and Kakashi and Anko were holding their own as well. We were in sufficient pairs, and luckily, we were all familiar with the combat style of our fellow partner. Naruto and I agreed to take down the group of Rogues on the left side of the field. We broke down that side of Rogues, leaving nothing but a pile of bodies and dust. They didn't stand a chance against us.

"Sasuke," Naruto panted. "Did you feel that?"

"Feel wha—"

"That chakra. _Sakura's _chakra," I turned to face him, wiping the blood from my katana on my pantleg.

"Yes, I felt it."

Naruto didn't respond to me, only replied with a nod and a heavy stare. "Something's wrong." He said quietly after a moment. "I can feel it, something is _wrong_."

"Where is she?"

Naruto glanced behind me at the crowd of approaching Rogues, the third wave already beginning. "She's at the underground hospital." I made a step to leave but Naruto gripped my forearm, preventing me from doing so.

"What—"

"Wait," Naruto said. "You shouldn't go alone. Help me with these guys," he motioned towards to the crowd and let his hand drop to his side. "and I'll go with you."

"Fuck…" I muttered under my breath. I closed my eyes and grunted in exasperation. There was no telling what had happened to her; her chakra peaked so suddenly, and then disappeared. If something bad happened to her—

"Sasuke, focus!" I whipped around and faced the oncoming crowd, letting out a battle cry of anger and charging into the crowd head-on. Using my katana, I channeled my chakra into the Sword of Kusanagi, forming electricity around us, filling our ears with the sounds of chirping birds. I swung at the forms of the Rogues, taking them down one by one. "On your left!" I turned to my left side, grunting as a kunai found its way into my shoulder. I used my katana to slice the arm of the Rogue, and kicked him backwards with my feet. I pulled the kunai out of my shoulder and wiped the blood from my face.

This continued for another hour and a half. As quickly as we could, Naruto and I took down the Rogue vampire. Naruto's form became surrounded by chakra, and took on a shape akin to a fox. In this form of his, he was stronger, quicker, as his senses evolved. The moment the Rogues were completely out of sight, Naruto turned to me and growled, cocking his head to the side as if to say 'Follow me'. On all fours, he took off, heading eastward. I followed closely behind Naruto, allowing him to lead me to Sakura. "Please be safe," I whispered. "Please." If I had a heart, it would be pounding in my chest, just waiting to break through the skin. I searched for her presence as we neared the entrance of Rose. According to what I'd heard, the underground hospital was located here, away from the dangers of battle.

Naruto stopped, releasing his chakra, the fox form disappearing as he stood on his two feet. "She's hear," he rasped. "I can smell her." With a heavy sigh, Naruto mumbled something under his breath, placing his hands on the ground. His chakra unlocked a seal that was made in a circle around the ground, and soon, a staircase that descended deep into the ground appeared. Naruto went down first, and I followed him again. There was another wall blocking the hospital and Naruto was having trouble opening the door.

"Open it!"

"I'm trying," he defended himself. "The seal on this door is different from the one upstairs." Naruto cursed and punched the door hard with his fist. "Dammit!" Naruto closed his eyes again and channeled the fox's chakra. I stepped back from his energy, finding it a little too overpowering. Moments later, he formed a ball of energy into his hand and forced it against the door, yelling, "Rasengan!" The door immediately shattered to bits of wood, and without another thought, I broke into a run, passed Naruto, and into the hospital.

The smell of blood hit me like a ton of bricks. I scanned the room, desperately searching for Sakura. I could only see the dead bodies of men, _our_ men, as they lay in cots and unsystematic piles on the ground. "Sakura!" I could feel a lump rise in my throat, the butterflies in my stomach rapidly attacking my nerves. The room was silent, dead silent.

"Sakura!" I heard Naruto exclaim. He trotted ahead of me, moving to the back of the hospital. I remained in the doorway, finding myself unable to step into the hospital. I was terrified of what I might find. I covered my face with my hands and sighed heavily. I only pulled them away when I heard Naruto whisper my name. "Sasuke…" I could hear the dread in his voice. Opening my eyes, I found him knelt beside a form in the very back of the hospital. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and hurried next to Naruto to see what he'd found.

I knew this battle was far from a game. It was real, the most important war in vampire history. Within the five months of official war, many lives had been lost, nearly one thousand. I'd lost my brothers, Itachi, and Sai as well. I was familiar with the pain of losing someone you loved, but as I looked down at the battered, motionless form of my fiancé, Sakura. I was faced with an unfamiliar pain I'd never been faced with before. I was frozen on the spot, my hands clenching and unclenching.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered. I shook my head, stopping him from speaking. I sank to my knees, keeping my head low, towards the ground. I could feel a warm liquid envelope around my left hand, and looking down, I realized that my hand was directly in a puddle of Sakura's blood. I fisted my hand, and slammed it against the ground with a grunt. I looked up at Sakura. She looked so pale, paler than she usually was; her skin was a deathly white. I reached out and touched her stomach, feeling the two puncture wounds there, sealed with dried, caked blood. Her plunging neckline on the collar of her shirt was ripped, revealing her bare skin, and two more puncture wounds, consistent with a katana similar to mine. Her skin around the wounds was purple, and I knew that whoever did this laced their weapon with poison.

As I lowered my head, I couldn't help but notice the dark puddle that gathered on Sakura's pants. I narrowed my eyes reaching for the button on her pants. Glancing at Naruto, I signaled for him to look away. He did. I pulled down her pants, grinding my teeth as I saw the streams of blood flowing from her crotch area. "Oh God," I whispered. I touched Sakura's stomach once more, fully examining the area, noticing, now, the bump. It was subtle, but nonetheless, there. "Please no."

_"I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me Sasuke. I swear I must be pregnant or something."_

"_You've done numerous things that went beyond all the rules. I don't think another…baby is entirely impossible."_

"_What if you are pregnant?"_

_She closed my eyes and sighed quietly. "I don't know what I would do."_

I grabbed a handful of my hair and hunched over. This couldn't be happening, this _couldn't_ be happening. She couldn't have been pregnant, she couldn't be _dead_.

"Sasuke—"

"She was pregnant." Even uttering the words were hard, nearly impossible. Sakura was pregnant with my child, and even after the thoughts first crossed our minds, I never would've imagined it to be true. Yes, it had been nearly two months since we last had sex, but after she had Avi, I deemed it impossible for her to become pregnant again. I just couldn't wrap my head around it, how? How and…why? "She was pregnant." I could hardly wrap my mind around the fact that Sakura was dead, but her baby, _our_ baby was gone as well. The lump in my throat returned, and I felt myself choking back tears. It was completely out of character for me, and I refused to let my emotions break free so suddenly.

But then a thought ran across my mind: who killed her? Who would dare to lay a hand on my lover, to beat and mutilate her body? I was disgusted, and I thought for sure I was going to throw up, no matter how impossible it was. And then, my answer came slithering next to me. A long snake with scales tinted purple and black, slid beside me, jutting its tongue outward, taunting me. I grabbed the snake and examined it, knowing right then and there that it belonged to Orochimaru. Exasperated, I threw the snake against the wall, killing it instantly. "Orochimaru did this." I said more to myself than to Naruto. I heard Naruto's large intake of breath, and I turned to look at him. He looked beyond upset with his glassy eyes and fluctuating chakras.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"He can't be far." I looked back to Sakura and covered up her bare body. Leaning over, I kissed Sakura's cold lips, wishing that there was some way that they could kiss me back. I lingered for a moment there, unable to part ways with her body. "I told you I would protect you," I whispered. "I told you I would be there, and I failed. I'm sorry." I dropped my head. "I'm so sorry." And then I could feel the traitorous tears leave my eyes. I wiped at them, placing the heel of my palms into my eyes. She couldn't be gone, she just couldn't. The last thing I said to her…the last thing I said to her was 'Stay safe'. I should've grabbed her and lifted her into my arms, spinning her around, squeezing her tightly and telling her over and over that I loved her. It hurt that I wouldn't be able to do that again.

Standing, I bent down and lifted Sakura in my arms and walked in the direction of the door. I could feel her blood soaking my clothes and I bit down on my tongue. I carried her back above ground. The camp was silent, eerily silent. Naruto emerged from underground and sighed heavily.

"It's over, for now." He said. "We should take her to Kakashi and Anko," He whispered this. "They can give her a proper burial."

"Yeah." I completely checked out, not even realizing that I was walking back to the cabins, being led by Naruto. I saw Shikamaru first as he ran forward, eyes wide with shock and despair. Looking at him, I saw his lips move to form a question, but he stopped. He knew. Neji was next, his clear eyes lowered as he watched silently. I carried her to our cabin, placing her in the very same bed Sai died in.

I could feel my knees buckle from underneath me, and I was beside her bed, clenching the sheets and screaming into the covers. Blinking back the tears, I could feel my Sharingan activate itself because of my overflowing emotions. This was my fault and my fault alone. My failure to protect her resulted in her death, but only one person murdered her _and _our unborn child. Orochimaru. He had no obvious reason to harm Sakura, she was virtually harmless, and never even knew of Orochimaru himself. She stayed away from trouble, aside from the Akatsuki that is, and she never picked unnecessary fights. So why target her? Why murder her? Unless…unless he was trying to get my attention. Orochimaru and I had history, though non-violent, we had many altercations before. It all became clear to me that he did this to send me a message. I scoffed.

If Sakura was randomly targeted, why not just stab her once through the heart? I shuddered at the thought. She was stabbed twice in the stomach area, the undoing of our baby, and twice in the chest. She suffered a broken arm, meaning she didn't have enough chakra to heal herself during the battle that ensued. She wore her finger-less gloves, suggesting a serious battle; she never put them on if she wasn't serious. Her clothes were tattered and stretched, and her bra was unclasped, her breasts uncovered. I clenched and unclenched my fists, grinding my teeth in my mouth. He touched her, _violated_ her.

I became blinded by my anger, and before I could even stop myself, I was on my feet, running out of the room. I pushed passed Kakashi and Naruto and grabbed my katana from the front yard of the cabin.

"Sasuke! Where are you going?" I heard Anko exclaim.

I froze for a moment, seriously contemplating my actions. Was it wise to go, being fueled by nothing but heartbreak and anger? Should I wait? But for what, why wait when the only person I lived for, the only woman genuinely worthy for me was gone. She was gone. I picked up my pace, gripping my katana again. "I'm going to kill him." I whispered to myself. I wasn't sure if Anko heard me, but all that mattered was my new mission. I would avenge Sakura and our baby, even if it costed me my own life. Tonight, Orochimaru was going to die.

:

I didn't know how long I ran through those woods. It had been three hours, maybe four. It was dark, eerily silent, and I was alone. I stopped for rest, gathering my chakra. I had no idea where Orochimaru was, but if he really wanted me, he could find me himself.

"Orochimaru!" I exclaimed. "Orochimaru, get out here!" I closed my eyes, focusing my ears on the noises around me. Naturally, I received no response, but I knew he could hear me. Why wait if he wanted me so badly? I navigated to the ground, placing my bottom on the soft mire. Holding my head in my hands, I saw the face of Sakura. She was smiling widely, laughing even, her voice echoing in my ears. She held Avi in her arms and—

_Avi._ What the hell was I going to tell Avi, _how_? How was I supposed to tell him that his mother, his only mother, was dead? I could hardly imagine how distraught he would be; his crying, hysterical form appeared in my head. I would have to raise him alone as well, and I wondered how I would be able to balance both the war life, and raise a son at the same time. I couldn't do it without her. Sakura was—

"Mmm what a sight, Sasuke Uchiha right out in the open." I jumped to my feet, my katana in hand. Scanning the area, there was no sight of Orochimaru. With my Sharingan, my senses were more acute, but I was still unable to sense Orochimaru's chakra.

"Come out!" I exclaimed. After receiving no answer, I did the seals, Rat, Tiger, Dog , Ox, Rabbit , Tiger and proceeded with using my Phoenix Flower Jutsu on the brush in the area. I was suddenly in a ring of fire as the woods caught ablaze, and it was only a matter of time before Orochimaru was weeded out. I kept my sword tightly gripped in my hands as I scanned the area repeatedly. It was as if Orochimaru was never here. "Fuck!"

"Now, now Sasuke. You aren't upset are you?" I hardly had enough time to spin around before Orochimaru had a kunai at my throat and his foot was on my back, forcing me to the ground. I writhed against him, causing the sharpest point of his kunai to pierce my skin. Feeling the blood trickle down my neck, I froze. "I suppose you came after me to avenge your loved one, Sakura Haruno. Mmm, while we were together in that hospital, as I was piercing her with my blade, I was hoping that you were there to see her face."

I threw my elbow up, jabbing Orochimaru in the jaw. He stepped back, giving me enough space to wiggle away from him and jump to my feet. Grabbing my katana, I turned and rammed the blade into Orochimaru's chest. "She was pregnant you son of a bitch!" I seethed. Before my eyes, Orochimaru dissipated and transformed into a bundle of snakes. Cursing, I turned, and scanned the area for Oro once more.

"I wish I knew that." I heard him say. He was a mere 50 yards away, still smiling at me. "If I knew that, I would've waited, and killed her right in front of you."

I narrowed my eyes, and in the instant that I blinked, Orochimaru was directly behind me. Placing one hand around my throat, he threw my head to the side and whispered, "You let yourself be fueled by anger, revenge. You couldn't even calm down long enough to fight me properly, therefore, you've lost."Before I could react to such words, Orochimaru's fangs sunk deeply into my neck.


	37. Chapter 35 Part 1

**Teaser Chapter**

**Chapter -35- Part 1**

**Chocolate Roses**

Half a day had passed since his departure, and originally, I intended to give him all the space he needed to kill Orochimaru. I was confident that he could do it in no time. However, the hours passed, and Sasuke had yet to return. I spent my time preparing for Sakura's funeral with Kakashi that afternoon. It was not a hard task; all we needed was a casket to ship her in when we sent her to Rose.

The sun hung high in the sky when I was able to catch my breath. The tension in the cabin was crushing—I knew I helped contribute to the solemn air—and I needed to escape. I left the cabin and in turn, sat on the outside steps. The scene ahead of me was no better than what I saw in the inside. Hospital aides were cleaning up the bodies of the fallen, burning the bodies of the Rogues and properly separating the bodies of their comrades. Some warriors cried out in pain, their screams echoing across the long stretch of land, while others just prayed, tears streaming down dirt-stained cheeks upon finding a brother. Watching this was heavy on my heart, and at that moment, all I wanted to do was contact Hinata. Even in the toughest of times, she was able to find a way to comfort me, console me. She was the only one. I twirled my wedding ring around my finger before bowing my head and issuing a prayer myself.

I had barely made it through the cabin door when I heard Anko seethe the words, _"Holy shit."_ I followed her voice, finding her by Sakura's bedside. The sheet that we used to cover her body had been removed just enough to show her face.

"What are you doing?" I asked, harsher than I expected.

"Naruto..." Anko's face had drained of color, her hands shaking in her lap. I approached the woman skeptically, awaiting direction. "What—"

"She's not dead." Anko said. I didn't respond, rather stared at the woman, searching for a sign, a _reason _as to why I didn't notice she was crazy. "Don't look at me like I'm crazy. Touch her, you'll see what I mean!"

Warily, I extended my hand and touched the side of Sakura's pale face. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt the warmth beneath my touch. "Explain this." I demanded.

"Body Preservation. It's an ancient genjutsu of war. It was commonly used to trick the enemy into thinking their opponents were dead. It lasts for a couple of hours, and it literally shuts the entire body down. It is harder to determine the cause of death when it comes to bodily functions being that we're vampires. This genjutsu, coincidentally, complicates that even more to the point where, if done correctly, all sign of life is completely invisible."

"So you're telling me that Sakura used this against Orochimaru?"

"Yes. Most likely, Sakura activated the genjutsu just before Orochimaru began to inflict final blows. This would mean that Sakura was already 'dead' when Orochimaru killed her."

"It's genius!" my eyes found the pink-haired woman, my brain unable to process what was happening. Sakura was alive. _Sakura was alive! _ "What about her baby?" I blurted out. Anko looked taken aback. "She was pregnant."

Anko ran a hand over Sakura's abdomen, her eyes closed intently as she focused on the woman. "I don't believe this." Anko quickly rose to her feet, knocking her seat over in the process. "Naruto, get Kakashi. Get everyone!"

"Is it al—"

"Yes. I don't know how, I really don't, but I'm gonna need help with this one."

The hours passed, and after calling for every medic in the camp, we were able to piece together the mystery of Sakura's baby. When Sakura activated the genjutsu, she did so not just around her, but around the baby as well. Although the womb sustained damage, the genjutsu protected it enough so that Sakura's energy could merge with the baby's, thus triggering the regeneration process possessed by all vampires. Because of her quick thinking, she not only saved the life of herself, but of her unborn child.

By the afternoon, Sakura had gained a lot more color. Anko announced that Sakura would wake from her genjutsu in less than two hours, and that, of course, she would want to see Sasuke first thing. Moments after she announced this, I'd hurried into the woods to find Sasuke. Using Kyuubi's tracking abilities, I was able to sense Sasuke's chakra almost immediately.

My heart swelled. Sakura and her baby were okay, Sasuke was okay, and for the time being, things seemed like they were going to be _okay._ If there was anything I was right about it would have to be this. I just couldnt afford to be wrong. Not this time.

**Sakura and her baby are okay! –the people all rejoice and sing- And poor Naruto has no idea about Sasuke's curse mark! Will things _really_ be okay?  
**

**I'm not even going to explain why it took me so long to update…just go with the flow! Part 2 of this chapter should be coming soon, so don't worry!**

**-Jazz Out**


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